The Dimensional Ta'dīb Method: Reconstructing Imam al-Shāfiʿī's Thought on Adab Education Based on Manhaj al-Ta'dīb al-Bu'dī

Abstract

Contemporary Islamic education faces a persistent tension between the transmission of knowledge and the formation of adab, particularly where religious and general sciences are treated as separate domains. This study reconstructs the educational dimensions embedded in Imam al-Shafi'i's thought and synthesizes them into the Dimensional Ta'dib Method (Manhaj al-Ta'dib al-Bu'dī). A qualitative library research design was employed, with al-Risalah as the principal primary source and other works identified in the research corpus used as supporting texts. The material was examined through repeated reading, thematic coding, qualitative content analysis, and conceptual synthesis. The analysis identified six interrelated dimensions of adab: adab toward Allah, the Messenger of Allah, the Qur'an, knowledge, oneself, and history and sunnatullah. These dimensions were organized through three educational processes, namely 'ilm, ta'lim, and tarbiyah, and were directed toward the formation of the Rabbani Generation. The reconstruction indicates that Imam al-Shafi'i's educational thought links theological orientation, disciplined knowledge, personal formation, and social responsibility within an ordered framework. The proposed method should be understood as a conceptual reconstruction derived from textual analysis rather than as an empirically validated instructional intervention. It therefore provides a basis for subsequent curriculum development and empirical examination in contemporary Islamic educational settings.