Reimagining Arabic Language Education Through AI: Pedagogical Innovation for Islamic Tarbiyah in Digital Era

Abstrak

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has begun to transform education worldwide, including Arabic language instruction in Islamic higher education. This study explores how AI technologies are perceived and utilized by students and lecturers in Indonesian Islamic universities, examining their pedagogical, cognitive, and ethical implications within the framework of tarbiyah Islamiyah. The research aims to identify both the benefits and challenges of integrating AI while maintaining alignment with Islamic values, including akhlaq, adab, and niyyah. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining questionnaires from 50 students and 5 lecturers with qualitative interviews to capture comprehensive perspectives. The results indicate that both students and lecturers recognize AI’s potential to enhance learning engagement, personalization, feedback, and motivation. Simultaneously, there is strong awareness of ethical considerations, including the importance of maintaining moral conduct, adab, and data privacy, as well as concerns regarding overreliance on technology and infrastructure limitations. The study concludes that AI can serve as a catalyst for “digital tarbiyah,” supporting both cognitive and moral development when applied thoughtfully. These findings offer practical implications for designing AI-assisted Arabic language pedagogy that harmonizes technological innovation with Islamic educational values.