This article presents a critical and comparative reflection on the trajectory of Islamic studies, from the Golden Age and the period of decline to the emergence of contemporary Muslim thinkers. During the Golden Age, particularly under the Abbasid dynasty, the integration of religion, philosophy, and science established the Islamic world as a global center of civilization, making significant contributions to the development of knowledge. However, this intellectual flourishing declined due to internal factors such as political disintegration, the dominance of rigid orthodoxy, and the loss of ijtihad. The Mongol invasion and Western colonialism further accelerated the stagnation of Islamic scholarship. Critical reflections by classical and modern thinkers such as Ibn Khaldun, Jamaluddin al-Afghani, Muhammad Abduh, and Muhammad Iqbal emphasized that the revival of the Muslim world required epistemological renewal, educational reform, and rational engagement. In the contemporary context, scholars such as Fazlur Rahman with his double movement theory, Malek Bennabi with his civilization paradigm, Ali Shariati with his revolutionary approach, and Amin Abdullah with his integration-interconnection paradigm have offered new methodological perspectives relevant to the challenges of modernity. The study concludes that the revival of Islamic studies demands epistemological openness, scientific innovation, and multidisciplinarity to address global issues while maintaining the relevance of Islamic values in modern civilization.
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