Al-Ghazālī’s Light Epistemology: Hermeneutical Insights from Mishkat al-Anwar for Islamic Religious Education

Contemporary Islamic religious education faces ongoing challenges in harmonizing cognitive development with spiritual and ethical formation, often treating philosophical Sufi texts as historical artifacts rather than pedagogical resources. This study addresses this gap by examining how al-Ghazālī’s hierarchy of light in Mishkat al-Anwar can be operationalized as a structured epistemological framework for Islamic learning environments. The research employs a qualitative textual hermeneutics approach, combining close reading of the primary Arabic text with conceptual analysis and triangulation using contemporary Islamic education literature. Findings reveal that al-Ghazālī’s five-tier light model functions not as a mystical classification but as a developmental map that aligns with modern curriculum design, reflective pedagogy, and character assessment. The study demonstrates that spiritual verification mechanisms in Sufi epistemology can be translated into measurable educational outcomes, such as ethical consistency, self-regulation, and integrative reasoning. Theoretically, this research reframes classical Islamic philosophy as a viable foundation for transpersonal and contemplative pedagogy. Practically, it offers curriculum developers and teacher educators a coherent model for embedding spiritual transformation into structured Islamic religious education without compromising academic rigor or theological integrity.