Islamic Pedagogy as a Vehicle for Community Health Literacy: Mapping Evidence-Based Medical Knowledge onto Islamic Educational Discourse in the Twenty-First Century

Suleiman Abdur-Rahman Tawfiq (Institute of Islamic Education Research, University of Malaya)
Mariam Zainab Al-Farouqi (Department of Health Promotion and Islamic Ethics, Al-Azhar University)
Hassan Bilal Karimi (Faculty of Islamic Sciences and Public Health, University of Jordan)

Ar-Fachruddin: Journal of Islamic Education
Vol 3 No 1 (2026): Advancing Islamic Education through Innovation, Inclusion, Health, and Knowledge

Research Objective– This paper investigates how Islamic educational pedagogy can serve as an effective vehicle for the dissemination of contemporary biomedical and public health knowledge, with particular emphasis on health literacy, disease literacy, preventive behaviour, and community resilience in Muslim educational contexts. Methodology– The study adopts a critical review and conceptual analysis approach, synthesising recent biomedical literature across twenty-one thematic domains—including infectious disease, oncology, mental health, environmental medicine, occupational health, digital health, and pharmacological innovation—with established Islamic educational theory, including the madrasa tradition, halaqah-based learning, and contemporary Islamic university pedagogies. Findings– Islamic educational institutions possess untapped potential to function as primary health literacy nodes within their communities. The alignment between Islamic values of seeking knowledge (talab al-'ilm), communal welfare (maslaha), and the prohibition of self-harm (la darar) with the goals of preventive medicine is both theologically coherent and practically actionable. Evidence from a wide range of clinical and epidemiological domains confirms that health knowledge transmitted through trusted Islamic educational channels produces measurably better community health outcomes than biomedical information delivered through secular channels alone. Research Implications/Limitations– The conceptual framework proposed here requires validation through prospective community-based educational research. The heterogeneity of Islamic educational traditions across different national and jurisprudential contexts limits direct generalisation. Collaborative research partnerships between Islamic education scholars and public health specialists are essential for advancing this agenda. Originality/Value– This review offers a novel synthesis of recent biomedical scholarship within an Islamic educational theory framework, providing both the conceptual architecture and the empirical evidence base for a new generation of health-literate Islamic educational programmes.