RECONSTRUCTING IBN AL-HAYTHAM’S MODEL OF MORAL EDUCATION THROUGH THE ATTRIBUTED TAHDHĪB AL-AKHLĀQ

Abstract

Moral education in Islamic tradition emphasizes the integration of intellectual development, habituation, and the formation of stable moral character. This study reconstructs the moral educational framework attributed to Ibn al-Haytham in Tahdhīb al-Akhlāq. This study employed a qualitative approach with a library research design, focusing on Tahdhib al-Akhlaq as the primary object of analysis and supported by classical and contemporary literature on Islamic moral education and Islamic philosophy, analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The findings show that Ibn al-Haytham conceptualizes akhlaq as a stable state of the soul from which actions arise spontaneously, making internal transformation the fundamental objective of moral education. The characteristics of Tahdhib al-Akhlaq reveal a concise, philosophical, and thematic work that presents moral formation as a lifelong process while relating moral qualities to individual and social contexts. The reconstruction identifies interconnected methods of moral education, including al-riyadhah, al-tafakkur, al-ta’dib, al-nafyu, al-uswah wa al-iqtida’, al-muhasabah, al-islaḥ, and al-targhib, which integrate habituation, rational reflection, self-regulation, social modeling, correction, and motivation. Overall, Ibn al-Haytham’s model demonstrates substantial continuity with the Islamic moral philosophy of Ibn Sina, Ibn Miskawayh, and al-Ghazali, while offering a distinctive rational-psychological framework in which moral knowledge is transformed through continuous practice into stable and enduring character.