Legal Education through Creed: Reforming Religious Pedagogy in Pluralistic Societies

Authors

  • Md. Marsudur Rahman Center for General Education, International Islamic University Chittagong, Bangladesh
  • Md. Amjad Hossain Shipon Center for General Education, International Islamic University Chittagong, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24252/al-daulah.v13i2.53847

Keywords:

Islamic legal education, Sahih Aqidah, legal consciousness, higher education policy, religious pedagogy

Abstract

Research Objective: To examine the Center for General Education (CGED) at the International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC) and evaluate how compulsory creed-based courses influence non-Shariah students' legal awareness, ethical behavior, and doctrinal understanding. Research Methodology: Mixed-methods empirical approach utilizing structured questionnaires, validated religious cognition scales, and semi-structured interviews. Analysis focused on students' internalization of legal norms, theological clarity, and behavioral transformation. Results: Students who completed CGED courses exhibited improved comprehension of Islamic legal principles, stronger ethical reasoning, and greater adherence to civic and religious norms. Participants demonstrated increased ability to distinguish between legitimate religious obligations and cultural misconceptions. Positive spillover effects were reported on families and social circles. Findings and Implications: Integration of classical sources, interactive pedagogy, and digital tools enhanced student engagement and legal literacy. Legally structured creed education has broader societal implications and promotes religious moderation and legal consciousness in pluralistic societies. Conclusion: Creed-based education, when legally structured and pedagogically sound, significantly improves students' moral and civic development. Islamic legal epistemology remains relevant in modern university contexts, offering a viable model for educational policy reform. Contribution: Provides empirical evidence for integrating religious instruction into national university curricula while addressing legal and educational challenges in South Asian Islamic higher education. Limitations and Suggestions: Limited to a single institution (IIUC), restricting generalizability. Focus on non-Shariah students may not represent broader populations. Future research should examine multiple institutions and investigate long-term behavioral sustainability

References

Alwi, PhD Engku, and Engku Ahmad Zaki. “The Creed of Ahl Al-Sunnah Wa Al-Jamāʻah in Islamic Law Framework.” Journal of Information Systems Engineering and Management, 2025. https://doi.org/10.52783/jisem.v10i28s.4402.
Aboul-Enein, B, J Bernstein, J Kruk, W Rouse, and L Blankinship. “A Narrative Review of Ethnic Minority Studies for Faith-Based Health Promotion Interventions with Special Reference to the Contemporary Christian Nurse.” Journal of Religion and Health 60 (2021): 1375–87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01150-0.
Agustin, Laras, and Fajarwati. “PARENTS’ PERCEPTION OF THE USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN LEARNING ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.” Al-Masail: Journal of Islamic Studies, 2023. https://doi.org/10.61677/al-masail.v1i2.230.
Ahmed, Asma. “Improving the Pedagogy of Islamic Religious Education in Secondary Schools: The Role of Critical Religious Education and Variation Theory by Ayse Demirel Ucan (Review).” Journal of Education in Muslim Societies 5 (2024): 145–49. https://doi.org/10.2979/jems.00008.
Al-Daghistani, Sami. “The Foundation of Norms in Islamic Jurisprudence and Theology.” Journal of Law and Religion 37, no. 1 (January 18, 2022): 207–9. https://doi.org/10.1017/jlr.2021.75.
Alias, Muhammad Nazir, Muhammad Najib Abdullah, Mohd Sham Kamis, Akhmad Jazuli Afandi, and Nursyahidah Alias. “SCIENTIFIC APPROACH AS THE BASIS FOR THE FORMATION OF MAQĀṢID AL-SHARĪ‘AH CONCEPT AND PRINCIPLES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY.” Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law 12, no. 2 (August 12, 2024): 350–63. https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol12no2.568.
Alshehri, F, M Fotaki, and Saleema Kauser. “The Effects of Spirituality and Religiosity on the Ethical Judgment in Organizations.” Journal of Business Ethics 174 (2020): 567–93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04614-1.
Ananta, Muhammad Afif, Nadia Yusri, Widya Handayani, and Nurul Haura. “Peran Penting Pendidikan Agama Islam Dalam Membentuk Karakter Pribadi Yang Islami.” Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 2023. https://doi.org/10.47134/pjpi.v1i2.115.
Angelia, Novita Mayasari, Erry Fitrya Primadhany, Novita Angraeni, and Baihaki Jarkani. “Maḥāsin Al-Syarī‘ah on The Implementation of Mahḍah Worship: Overview of Islamic Legal Philosophy.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam, 2022. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v6i2.12394.
Arlis, Arlis, Ahmad Bakhtiar Jelani, and Arif Taufiq. “Integrating the Principle of Monotheism Into Constitutional Law.” El -Hekam, 2023. https://doi.org/10.31958/jeh.v8i1.8227.
Azhar, Azhar. “Islamic Law Reform in Indonesia from the Perspective of Maqāṣid Al-Sharī’ah: Kerinci’s Intellectual Views.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam 8, no. 2 (May 11, 2024): 750. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i2.15051.
Benajiba, Nada, Wahiba Abu-Ras, B Aboul-Enein, Fatmah Almoayad, and Elizabeth Dodge. “Mosques and Public Health Promotion: A Scoping Review of Faith-Driven Health Interventions.” Health Education & Behavior 51 (2024): 677–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/10901981241252800.
Broyde, Michael J. “Religious Values in Secular Institutions?” Journal of Law, Religion and State 10, no. 1 (September 14, 2022): 53–85. https://doi.org/10.1163/22124810-10010002.
Chakravarty, Gautami, Aranya Nath, and Srishti Roy Barman. “Transforming Legal Education Through Experiential Learning: Integrating Intellectual Property Simulations and Digital Copyright Case Studies into the Law School Curriculum.” Asian Journal of Legal Education, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1177/23220058251334749.
Choudhury, M. “A Critique of Shari’ah Perspectives Contra Tawhid as Law: Terminologies,” 2020, 7–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49087-4_2.
———. “Tawhid as Law Contra ‘Shari’Ah-Compliance’ in Malaysian Advisory Commission,” 2020, 97–126. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49087-4_6.
———. “Tawhid as Law Contra Shari’ah in Standardizing a Theory of Islamic Financial Economy,” 2020, 87–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49087-4_5.
Dodlek, Ivan. “Values in Narratives: Religious Education as an Exercise in Emotional Rationality.” Religions, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101283.
Ebaid, Ibrahim El-Sayed. “Ethics and Accounting Education: Does Teaching Stand-Alone Religious Courses Affect Accounting Students’ Ethical Decisions?” Society and Business Review, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1108/sbr-07-2021-0102.
Elmahjub, Ezieddin. “Islamic Jurisprudence as an Ethical Discourse: An Enquiry into the Nature of Moral Reasoning in Islamic Legal Theory.” Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/OJLR/RWAA023.
Essabane, Kamel, C Sterkens, and P Vermeer. “The Relationship between Islamic Religious Education and Citizenship Education in Liberal Democracies.” Religious Education 118 (2023): 297–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/00344087.2023.2262888.
Flammer, Patrik, M Bonsall, R Nascimento, M Ghafari, S Dascalu, and S Henson. “Engaging Religious Institutions and Faith-Based Communities in Public Health Initiatives: A Case Study of the Romanian Orthodox Church During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Frontiers in Public Health 9 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.768091.
Green, Daniel, and Cornelia Eißler. “A Reflective Essay on Piska’s Casebook–Einführung in Die Rechtswissenschaften: Strategische Anleitung Und Arbeitsbuch/Casebook–Introduction to Legal Studies: Strategic Guide and Workbook (Facultas 2019).” International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue Internationale de Sémiotique Juridique 37, no. 4 (July 5, 2024): 1431–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11196-024-10111-9.
Hanifaa, Ummi, and Meyniar Albina. “Religious Moderation and Basic Rights in Education According to Islamic Perspective.” MAQOLAT: Journal of Islamic Studies, 2025. https://doi.org/10.58355/maqolat.v3i2.128.
Harry, Musleh, Saifullah Saifullah, Jundiani Jundiani, and Meisy Fajarani. “Examining the Provision of Legal and Religious Education to Islamic Families to Safeguard the Rights and Well-Being of Women and Children: A Case Study Conducted in Malang Regency, East Java.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam, 2024. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i3.19566.
Hasbulah, Muhamad Husni, Fathullah Asni, Wan Azani Mustafa, Khalilullah Amin Ahmad, Syahraini Tambak, Hasrul Hashom, Afiffudin Mohammed Noor, and Khairulnazrin Nasir. “Mobile Learning of Islamic Studies: A Comprehensive Review.” Journal of Advanced Research in Applied Sciences and Engineering Technology, 2024. https://doi.org/10.37934/araset.48.2.211224.
Hosseini, Mohammad. “An Argument About the Realism of Legal Propositions Based on Islamic Philosophy.” Philosophy East and West 0 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1353/pew.2025.a957083.
Johan, Budi, Fathan Faqih Ali, and Muhammad Ali. “Learning Media in Islamic Education.” Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 2024. https://doi.org/10.47134/pjpi.v1i4.810.
Judd, T, Erika Smith, and R Kahlke. “Not Just Digital Natives: Integrating Technologies in Professional Education Contexts.” Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2020. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.5689.
Khodabandelou, Rouhollah, Hossein Chaharbashloo, Mostafa Ghaderi, Hassanreza Zeinabadi, and Leila Karimi. “A Systematic Review on University Instructors’ Roles and Competencies in Online Teaching Environments.” Interactive Learning Environments, December 6, 2022, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2152057.
Khoiri, Qolbi, and Anisyah Rahmadania. “Problem Dan Pengembangan Pendidikan Islam Di Indonesia.” Journal on Education, 2023. https://doi.org/10.31004/joe.v5i2.1117.
Kistoro, Hanif Cahyo Adi, N Burhan, and Eva Latipah. “Probing Experiential Learning Approach in Islamic Religious Education.” Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 2023. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v9i2.24374.
Kretsedemas, Philip. “Explaining Asylum Law Using Qualitative Comparative Analysis.” Laws 13, no. 4 (August 14, 2024): 53. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws13040053.
Lahmar, Fella. “Islamic Education: An Islamic ‘Wisdom-Based Cultural Environment’ in a Western Context.” Religions 11, no. 8 (August 7, 2020): 409. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11080409.
Lauterbach, Thorsten, Crystal Fulton, Charilaos Lavranos, Petros Kostagiolas, and Konstantina Martzoukou. “A Study of University Law Students’ Self-Perceived Digital Competences.” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 54 (2021): 751–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006211048004.
Lumbard, Joseph E. B. “Islam and the Challenge of Epistemic Sovereignty.” Religions 15, no. 4 (March 26, 2024): 406. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15040406.
McGrath, C, and Christine Storr. “In Search of the Evidence: Digital Learning in Legal Education, a Scoping Review.” The Law Teacher 57 (2023): 119–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069400.2022.2133212.
Melani, Devi. “THE USE OF INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY IN ISLAMIC EDUCATION AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: IMPACT ON STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION, PARTICIPATION, AND UNDERSTANDING.” Al-Masail: Journal of Islamic Studies, 2023. https://doi.org/10.61677/al-masail.v1i2.128.
Min, She. “Research on the Application Strategy of New Media Technology in Modern University Law Teaching.” Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy Systems, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3233/JIFS-219122.
Mulyadi, Mulyadi. “Grasping The Management of Islamic Education Amidst The Digital Era.” International Journal of Public Health, 2024. https://doi.org/10.62951/ijph.v1i2.24.
Mustofa, Ihsan, Koderi, Agus Jatmiko, and Charisma Adinda. “LITERATURE REVIEW ON THE USE OF E-LEARNING FOR ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS EDUCATION LEARNING.” Al-Masail: Journal of Islamic Studies, 2024. https://doi.org/10.61677/al-masail.v2i1.181.
Obaid, Yahya, Aswar Abidin, Samsuddin Samsuddin, St. Fatimah Kadir, and Ahmad Baharuddin. “Revealing Identity to Form Student Character: Application of the Hidden Curriculum in Islamic Legal Education.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam 8, no. 3 (October 9, 2024): 1782. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i3.24061.
Orekhov, Andrey, Vasily Galuzo, Daniil Kvon, Aleksandr Chernyavsky, and Firuza Akhmedova. “Theological Education as a Way to Reproduce ‘Religious Capital’ (Philosophical and Legal Aspects) ‎.” Journal Of Advanced Pharmacy Education and Research 11, no. 2 (2021): 119–23. https://doi.org/10.51847/fxrhpJLM3p.
Ovchinnikov, Alexey, and I Kozhokar. “Legal Theology in Interdisciplinary Discourse.” WISDOM, 2021. https://doi.org/10.24234/wisdom.v1i1.671.
Pashayeva, Antiga. “Religion and Law: The Ratio of Law and Morality in Islam.” International Journal of Islamic Thought 22, no. 1 (December 1, 2022). https://doi.org/10.24035/ijit.22.2022.236.
Pratama, Finsa Adhi, Herman Herman, Kartini Kartini, Muhammad Ilham, and Muhammad Iqbal. “Imposing Sanctions on School Students in East Kolaka, Indonesia: Perspectives of Islamic Law and Islamic Education.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam, 2024. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i2.21898.
Rahmah, Syarifah, and Muhammad Ilham. “Management of Students’ Religious Culture.” Development: Studies in Educational Management and Leadership 1, no. 1 (June 30, 2022): 39–54. https://doi.org/10.47766/development.v1i1.644.
Rivaldi, Muhammad, and Narendra Jumadil Haikal Ramadhan. “CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS THROUGH ISLAMIC EDUCATION LEADERSHIP.” Al-Masail: Journal of Islamic Studies 2, no. 2 (June 29, 2024): 80–89. https://doi.org/10.61677/al-masail.v2i2.270.
Roszak, Piotr, and Weronika Kudła. “Faith-Based Education in Polish Public Schools – From Battleground to Common Ground.” International Journal of Educational Development 99 (May 2023): 102773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.102773.
Slanov, Oleg T. “THE PEDAGOGICAL INFLUENCE OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ON THE LEGAL CONSCIOUSNESS OF A STUDENT.” Russian Journal of Education and Psychology 15, no. 1 (February 29, 2024): 7–31. https://doi.org/10.12731/2658-4034-2024-15-1-431.
Suddahazai, I. “Reflecting on Teaching Practice: Adopting Islamic Liberatory Pedagogies within Muslim Institutes of Higher Education in UK (MIHEUK).” Religions, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14020223.
U, Muhammad Shabir, M Burga, and Muljono Damopolii. “The Phenomenon of Punishment at Pesantren in South Sulawesi: An Islamic Law and Islamic Education Approaches.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam, 2023. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i3.18207.
Umami, Khairil, Soleh Hasan Wahid, and Yudhi Achmad Bashori. “MAQASID SHARIAH-BASED DIGITAL ECONOMY MODEL: INTEGRATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSFORMATION.” Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law, 2024. https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol12no2.647.
Umashankar, Rachana Rao. “The Multisensory Engagement with the Qur’an: Teaching the Qur’an beyond the Written Word.” Teaching Theology and Religion 23 (2020): 231–39. https://doi.org/10.1111/teth.12569.
Wahyudi, M, Syamsul Rijal, M Ikhwan, and Silahuddin Silahuddin. “Optimizing the Advancement of Islamic Education From the Lens of Islamic Law Philosophy.” ISTIFHAM: Journal Of Islamic Studies, 2023. https://doi.org/10.71039/istifham.v1i2.26.
Widiani, Desti, and Lilik Istiqomah. “The Influence of Learning Motivation and Intellectual Intelligence on Learning Achievement in Islamic Religious Education.” Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 2021. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v7i2.15273.
Zuhdi, Muhammad Harfin, and Mohamad Abdun Nasir. “Al-Mashlahah and Reinterpretation of Islamic Law in Contemporary Context.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam 8, no. 3 (October 17, 2024): 1818. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i3.24918.
Zulfiqar, Adnan. “Belief as Status: Premodern Islamic Law, Duties, and the Martyr Conundrum.” American Journal of Legal History, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajlh/njad022.

Downloads

Published

2024-11-19

How to Cite

Rahman, M. M., & Shipon, M. A. H. (2024). Legal Education through Creed: Reforming Religious Pedagogy in Pluralistic Societies. Al-Daulah : Jurnal Hukum Pidana Dan Ketatanegaraan, 13(2), 198–212. https://doi.org/10.24252/al-daulah.v13i2.53847

Similar Articles

> >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.