Pendekatan Sejarah dalam Studi Islam Sebagai Paradigma Memahami Dinamika Keislaman Modern

Abstract

This study aims to examine the position and contribution of the historical (historical/historis) approach as a paradigm for understanding the dynamics of Islam, both in its classical formulation and its relevance to contemporary Islamic phenomena. The object of study is textual, comprising classical and contemporary literature on Islamic historiography, including primary genres such as tarikh, sirah, hikayat, manaqib, and tabaqat, as well as scholarly journal articles published over the last ten years. This research employs a qualitative library research (studi kepustakaan) method with a descriptive-analytical approach, in which data were collected through documentation techniques from books and indexed journal articles, then analyzed using content analysis to identify conceptual patterns and historiographical development. The results show that the historical approach positions Islam not merely as a normative text but as a lived tradition shaped by, and responsive to, its socio-political context across three major periods: pre-Islamic Arab historiography, classical Islamic historiography (marked by the riwayah and dirayah methods along with the Yemeni, Medinan, and Iraqi schools), and modern historiography influenced by Western historical methodologies such as the Annales school. Prominent classical historians Ibn Ishaq, al-Waqidi, al-Tabari, al-Mas'udi, and Ibn Khaldun are shown to have laid the methodological foundation that continues to inform critical, contextual Islamic studies today. This study concludes that the historical approach remains a relevant and indispensable paradigm for reading Islam's contemporary dynamics critically and contextually, and recommends its integration with other interdisciplinary approaches in future research on Islamic studies