Bahasa Arab sebagai Basis Pendidikan Islam Dayah: Konsep Pembelajaran Kitab Kuning dan Pembentukan Karakter Santri

Abstract

Studying the classical Islamic texts (kitab kuning) lies at the heart of dayah education, and Arabic is the key to accessing them. In practice, Arabic instruction is often treated as a purely linguistic matter, while character formation is seen as the domain of Islamic education, so the two are rarely examined together. This article aims to formulate the concept of Arabic as a foundation of dayah Islamic education, to analyze the concept of learning kitab kuning, and to explain its contribution to the character formation of santri. Using library research with a qualitative-descriptive approach and content analysis of literature on Arabic language teaching, Islamic education, and the pesantren/dayah tradition, the study finds that Arabic functions as a tool, a pathway, and a component of the process of Islamic education in the dayah. Learning kitab kuning through nahwu-sharaf reinforcement, sorogan, and bandongan builds reading competence while also nurturing adab, perseverance, independence, and scholarly honesty. The article proposes a conceptual model of character-oriented kitab kuning learning consisting of four stages: linguistic competence building, guided reading, comprehension of content, and value internalization. It concludes that Arabic language education and Islamic education in the dayah should be designed in an integrated manner.