The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has brought significant transformation to the field of education, including Islamic elementary teacher education (PGMI). This study aims to explore how PGMI students can be empowered to develop AI-integrated teaching materials that promote innovation, ethical awareness, and leadership readiness for the future. This research employed a qualitative descriptive method involving PGMI students at Universitas Muhammadiyah Riau as the participants. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation of the process of designing, implementing, and evaluating AI-assisted learning media, and analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The results reveal that students are able to integrate AI creatively and ethically in developing teaching materials. The use of AI enhances students’ technological competence, critical thinking, and creativity while fostering ethical responsibility in technology utilization. Thus, integrating AI into learning media development serves as a strategic effort to prepare PGMI students as innovative and ethical future educators and leaders in Islamic education.
Category: Articles
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The Role of AI in Transforming Teacher Education in Nigeria: Opportunities and Challenges
This study looks at how artificial intelligence (AI) might change teacher education in Nigeria by boosting administrative effectiveness, improving assessment and classroom practices, strengthening professional development, and personalizing teacher learning. It maps opportunities (adaptive learning tools, automated feedback, content generation, data-driven decision-making) and challenges (digital infrastructure gaps, teacher readiness, ethical risks, policy and regulatory lacunae) based on policy documents, international guidance, and recent empirical studies. In order to generate practical suggestions for legislators, teacher educators, and development partners, the study employs a qualitative synthesis of secondary literature and policy analysis. Important suggestions include incorporating AI literacy into teacher preparation, testing professional development initiatives powered by AI, bolstering digital infrastructure and data governance, and implementing moral standards in line with national and UNESCO policies. The study concludes that AI can be a catalytic force in teacher education in Nigeria but only if investments align with capacity building, inclusivity, and robust governance.
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The Role of Waqf in Agricultural Development and Modernization in North-Eastern Nigeria
Most people in North-Eastern Nigeria still rely on agriculture as their main source of income, but the industry faces several obstacles, including low productivity, antiquated farming methods, restricted access to financing, and the effects of climate change and insecurity. The function of waqf, or Islamic endowment, as a long-term tool for advancing regional agricultural modernization and development is examined in this paper. The paper examines how waqf can be strategically repurposed and used to promote irrigation projects, mechanized farming, land acquisition, and smallholder farmers’ empowerment. It is grounded on Islamic economic principles and is backed by empirical case analysis. Qualitative interviews with waqf administrators, agricultural specialists, religious leaders, and farmers from a few states in the Northeast, such as Borno, Gombe, and Yobe, were used. Additionally, quantitative information from waqf foundations and agricultural institutions was examined. The results show that although waqf is currently underutilized in agriculture, there is a great deal of opportunity to mobilize cash waqf donations and idle waqf lands for farmer training, infrastructure development, and agricultural financing. Furthermore, incorporating waqf into current frameworks for rural development may improve rural livelihoods, employment, and food security. The study comes to the conclusion that mainstreaming waqf into the agricultural sector requires strong institutional reforms, legal frameworks, and public awareness. In order to maximize impact, it suggests modernizing waqf land administration, forming alliances between waqf boards and agricultural cooperatives, and creating waqf-based Agricultural Development Funds. This study adds to the body of knowledge on Islamic social finance and rural development by introducing waqf as a practical and moral means of transforming agriculture in areas impacted by conflict and experiencing economic hardship.
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Pens with a Purpose: Muslim Scholars and Writing Identity
Writing has always been a sacred and civilizational involvement in Islamic history, inspired by the command of Iqra’ (read) as the first revelation. Muslim scholars viewed writing not merely as a practical skill but as a mission by purpose activity that shaped identity, preserved divine knowledge, and built civilizations. This article explores the central role of writing in the development of Islamic intellectual tradition, emphasizing the intentionality behind Muslim scholarly texts. Writings were composed not only to teach knowledge, but also to counter falsehoods, initiate dialogue, document history, and inspire ethical living. From the particular compilation of hadith to philosophical debates, encyclopedias, and spiritual poetry, these works anchored Islamic thought and identity across centuries and geographies. The article categorizes the purposes behind Muslim writings and connects them to broader civilizational outcomes, such as the flourishing of knowledge in the Islamic Golden Age and the shaping of cultural memory through manuscript traditions. Using a narrative review methodology, this article draws upon classical and modern texts, tracing writing traditions from early Islamic scholars. It also uses textual analysis to identify the embedded purposes and strategies within selected writings. The article argues that the legacy of Muslim scholars’ “pens with a purpose” serves as a model for contemporary knowledge production in the Islamic worldview, especially in a digital age overwhelmed by information, yet hungry for wisdom, authenticity, and ethical guidance. Today’s Muslim writers and thinkers bear a renewed responsibility to write with clarity, truth, and purpose, so they can contribute not only to intellectual discourse but to ethical transformation and community resilience in an increasingly fragmented world.
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The Legacy of Waqf: Foundation and Its Continuities
Waqf (Islamic endowment) is one of the most profound socio-economic legacies of Islamic civilization. Rooted in the principle of voluntary asset dedication for public benefit, waqf has served as a cornerstone for institutional development in Muslim societies for over a millennium. The legacy is to describe how the foundational principles of waqf have been transmitted and adapted across different socio-legal contexts, producing parallel institutions that, while locally distinct, share their functional values. This paper explores waqf as a legacy, a foundational social institution embedded in Islamic thought and practice that continues to influence contemporary legal, economic, and governance structures. The study traces waqf’s historical evolution, its interrelationship with the Islamic concept of qard al-hasan (benevolent loan), and its intersection with land management, social justice, and state-building across different cultural and geographical contexts. Drawing from historical, legal, and institutional analysis, the article demonstrates how waqf inspired the emergence of similar mechanisms in global and Western societies, such as trusts and endowments. Furthermore, the article discusses the challenges facing waqf today, including asset fragmentation, governance issues, and underutilization. It also explores waqf’s potential as a strategic instrument for inclusive development, especially in education, healthcare, and social welfare. The research concludes that the waqf institution, when revitalized with modern governance tools and aligned with sustainability principles, offers a resilient and ethical model for long-term socio-economic empowerment and wealth redistribution.
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Humanitarian and Beyond States Diplomacy: Society as an Emerging Global Actor
The evolution of global interaction in the 21st century reveals a widening gap between the complexity of contemporary crises and the capacity of traditional political diplomacy to address them. Geopolitical rivalries, institutional stagnation, and resource-extractive economic models have created a climate of diplomatic fatigue, where state-centered responses often fall short of delivering timely or humane solutions. Within this vacuum, civil society has emerged as a dynamic and influential actor capable of reshaping global engagement. Humanitarian organizations, volunteer networks, faith-based groups, and transnational advocacy coalitions now mobilize across borders to address urgent human needs, challenge injustices, and promote shared ethical norms. This paper conceptualizes “humanitarian and beyond-states diplomacy” as an alternative paradigm in which diplomatic influence is exercised not only through formal institutions but through societal initiative, moral persuasion, and collective action. It examines how civil society has moved from the periphery to the center of global affairs by negotiating humanitarian access, advocating for vulnerable populations, and generating new norms of solidarity and responsibility. Rather than operating within the limits of state sovereignty or economic interest, these actors draw legitimacy from empathy, global citizenship, and the moral urgency of human protection. The study argues that humanitarian diplomacy from below offers a transformative approach to international cooperation, one capable of renewing compassion, rebuilding trust, and addressing crises that have outpaced traditional diplomatic mechanisms. By analyzing this shift, the paper underscores the rising significance of society as an emerging global actor and highlights the potential of humanitarian engagement to redefine the future of diplomacy.
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Ahmad Dahlan dan Pergerakan Muhammadiyah: Idea-idea Pembaharuan dalam Konteks Kebudayaan dan Sejarah
Kertas ini mengkaji pengaruh Kiyai Haji Ahmad Dahlan (1868-1923) dalam gerakan pembaharuan Islam di Indonesia dan pengaruh yang dicetuskannya dalam pergerakan dan pemikiran moden. Ini digerakkan dalam konteks pembaharuan dan pemurnian agama yang dibawa oleh persyarikatan Islam Muhammadiyah, yang dibentuknya pada 18 Novermber 1912. Objektif kajian ialah menyingkap falsafah dan khittah perjuangan yang dilakarkan dalam harakat pembaharuan yang dirintisnya sebagai pelopor kesedaran dan kebangkitan moden. Metode kajian bersifat deskriptif-historis berasaskan tinjauan kualitatif dengan pendekatan saintifik dan empirik. Temuan kajian mendapati pengaruh dan dampak dari pemikiran Ahmad Dahlan terhadap aspirasi Islam moden yang digerakkan oleh Muhammadiyah dalam jaringan aktivis dan mubalighnya yang meluas. Ia memberi kesan terhadap pengembangan aliran dan kesedaran rasional yang timbul dari tradisi mazhab dan perspektifnya yang puritan. Nilai ijtihad dan pemikiran ini dikembangkan dalam harakat pemurniannya dalam rangka mengembangkan visi kosmopolitan Muhammadiyah bagi meningkatkan jaringan dakwah salaf dan kekuatan organisasinya yang merupakan antara gerakan Islam terbesar dan paling tersusun di dunia.
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Waste Management in the Circular Economy Framework: A Study on Biomass and Compost Potential Production in Payakumbuh City
This study explores the potential of integrating waste management strategies with circular economy principles to enhance biomass and compost production in the greater Payakumbuh area. As regional urbanization and domestic waste levels continue to rise, there is an urgent need to shift from linear waste disposal systems toward resource-oriented waste valorization. This paper proposes a circular model that repositions organic household waste as a green input for local biomass energy and organic fertilizer production, thereby contributing to environmental sustainability, regional agricultural resilience, and green economic development. Drawing on interdisciplinary frameworks from circular economy theory, waste-to-resource models, and regional development planning, the study analyzes the feasibility of composting and anaerobic digestion as localized waste treatment technologies. It also examines governance challenges, infrastructure readiness, and community engagement in the region. The case of Payakumbuh, where agricultural productivity and urban waste generation are closely intertwined, illustrates both the opportunities and constraints of implementing circular economy strategies in smaller Indonesian urban centers. By conceptualizing a closed-loop system tailored to the socio-economic characteristics of Payakumbuh, this research provides a foundation for future empirical studies and policy interventions aimed at sustainable resource management and low-carbon regional transformation.
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The Political Dimension of Prophethood on Civilizing the Moral Ethics, Justice, and Class Reform
This paper highlights the political dimension of Muhammad’s Prophethood as a comprehensive civilizational project aimed at improving moral ethics, justice, and class reform in the framework of society leadership and governance. Using a conceptual–narrative approach that draws from classical Islamic historiography (Sirah Nabawiyah) and modern interpretive context, the study situates the Prophet’s mission as both a spiritual awakening and a political transformation grounded in tauhid (divine unity). The research argues that the Prophet redefined politics as an ethical mission, transforming it from an arena of domination into a means of cultivating justice and moral consciousness. The Meccan phase illustrates moral resistance and class awakening, where faith became a force of ethical protest against social oppression. The Hijrah to Medina marked a transition from moral resistance to institutional civilization, establishing the Charter of Medina as one of the earliest constitutional models of pluralistic justice. Within the Madinan foundation, the Prophet institutionalized justice, social economy instruments of moral ethics governance, creating a balance between spirituality, law, and civic duty. The study concludes that Prophet Muhammad’s leadership civilized politics by linking power to moral purpose and embedding ethics in governance, economy, and society. His vision of a madani (civilized) community presents an enduring model of ethical statecraft where human dignity, equality, and compassion guide public order. This synthesis of faith and justice demonstrates that the foundation of Islamic civilization is moral ethics based, not material, anchored in the pursuit of righteousness, social welfare, and universal peace.
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How Indonesia Should Go Further with Decentralization: Revisiting the Views and the Visions
Indonesia’s vast geography and cultural diversity pose long-standing challenges to the centralized governance systems. Following the collapse of the New Order regime in 1998, the country embarked on an ambitious decentralization campaign, transferring authority and resources from the central government to local governments through Laws No. 22 and 25 of 1999. Despite the progress made, recent trends suggest a drift back toward recentralization and inefficiencies in subnational governance. This article investigates how Indonesia should move forward with a deeper and more coherent decentralization policy, drawing insights from the ideas of key early independence-era thinkers, as well as the reform era. Using a qualitative historical-interpretive approach, the study analyzes political writings, speeches, and conceptual contributions of late figures, framed alongside policy and governance developments in post-Reformasi Indonesia. The findings reveal that decentralization was not merely an administrative concern but a philosophical and moral imperative for these thinkers. Hatta promoted village autonomy; Sjahrir advocated democratic pluralism; Malaka emphasized grassroots empowerment, while the reformists underscored decentralization as a pillar of democratic resilience. The study concludes that Indonesia’s decentralization project must go beyond partial devolution. It should embody the ethical and participatory principles rooted in the country’s intellectual tradition that work towards strengthening local democracy, fiscal independence, regional capability, and innovation. Reviving these foundational visions is vital to ensuring that decentralization serves not just efficiency, but also the quality of justice, inclusivity, prosperity, and national diversity.
