CONSTRUCTING A QUR’AN-BASED INQUIRY LEARNING METHOD AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

A CASE STUDY AT SMP AL-AZHAR SYIFA BUDI CIBUBUR

Abstract

Islamic Religious Education (IRE/PAI) is expected to foster active student engagement and intellectual development while maintaining the ethical and spiritual orientation of Islamic education. This study examines the Qur’anic epistemological construction of an inquiry learning method and describes its implementation in PAI at SMP Al-Azhar Syifa Budi Cibubur. Using a qualitative case-study design, the study draws on observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. The empirical sources reported in the manuscript include school leadership, PAI teachers, and 20 students. Field data were analyzed inductively through data reduction, display, and conclusion drawing, while relevant Qur’anic passages were examined through thematic exegesis (tafsir maudhu’i). The conceptual synthesis comprises seven stages: problem orientation, problem formulation, hypothesis development, data collection and exploration, hypothesis testing and information verification, learning application and internalization of religious values, and conclusion drawing. Student interviews indicate positive perceptions of engagement and learning experience, while observations and school-supervision documents describe changes in classroom practices. These findings are interpreted as evidence of reported experiences and observed process changes, not as causal proof of the model’s effectiveness. The study’s principal contribution is the integration of knowledge application and religious-value internalization into an inquiry framework for PAI, with the Qur’an functioning as an epistemological and ethical orientation rather than as a one-to-one prescription for modern instructional procedures.