Qur’anic and Prophetic Terminologies of Learners: A Study of Islamic Educational Concepts

Abstract

The study aims to analyze and synthesize the Islamic understanding of students as reflected in the terms mutarabbi, muta’allim, muta’addib, thalib, and daris/mutadarris, which describe the comprehensive dimensions of human education. This study explores the concept of students in the perspective of the Qur’an and Hadith through the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method using a qualitative-descriptive approach. Data were obtained from primary sources, the Qur’an and Hadith as well as secondary references, including classical tafsir works and Islamic educational literature. The findings reveal that the concept of students in Islam extends beyond the conventional notion of learners as passive recipients of knowledge. Instead, students are viewed as active, dynamic individuals engaged in a continuous educational process involving tarbiyah (holistic education and guidance), ta‘lim (learning and instruction), and ta‘dib (discipline and moral cultivation). Each term emphasizes a unique aspect of development: mutarabbi refers to nurturing; muta’allim to the pursuit of knowledge; muta’addib to ethical and spiritual refinement; thalib to the active seeker of truth; and daris/mutadarris to continuous reflection and study. Collectively, these concepts indicate that Islamic education aims to form individuals who are intellectually competent, morally upright, spiritually aware, and socially responsible embodying the ideal balance between knowledge, faith, and ethical action.