Deconstructing Ta’dzim Culture through Critical Pedagogy Inspired by Sayyidah Aisyah

Abstract

The culture of ta’dzim in the pesantren tradition reflects a legacy of Islamic scholarly ethics (adab) that sustains the moral relationship between teacher and student and ensures the continuity of knowledge transmission. However, in contemporary practice, ta’dzim is often reduced to passive obedience, limiting dialogic engagement and weakening students’ (santri) critical reasoning. This study aims to deconstruct the hierarchical understanding of ta’dzim by proposing a critical pedagogy model grounded in the educational practices of Sayyidah Aisyah (r.a.), characterized by dialogue, clarification (tashīḥ), and intellectual courage in early Islamic scholarship.This qualitative research employs a library-based approach and applies Critical Discourse Analysis to examine power relations and meaning construction in religious and pedagogical texts. The findings indicate that Sayyidah Aisyah’s pedagogy represents an “active-discursive ta’dzim,” positioning learners as intellectually agentic subjects. This approach aligns with key principles of critical pedagogy, particularly Paulo Freire’s concept of conscientization. This study contributes by reconceptualizing ta’dzim as an epistemic and dialogical practice rather than a purely hierarchical norm. It reorients Islamic education discourse from an obedience-centered paradigm toward a critical-participatory framework rooted in tradition. This shift provides a theoretical foundation for developing pesantren-based pedagogical models that integrate ethical reverence with critical inquiry in response to contemporary educational challenges.