Arabic Language Teaching Trends for Sustainable Development Through Qur’anic Objectives in Indonesia

Abstract

Arabic has been taught in many countries for diverse purposes, depending on national needs, curricula, and educational policies, including understanding the Qur’an and Sunnah, facilitating communication in tourism and journalism, and supporting economic activities. As a fundamental element of culture, language is interconnected with other cultural components and external systems, making the integration of Arabic teaching with broader scientific and social phenomena both relevant and necessary. The United Nations, through UNESCO, has emphasized global crises and cultural challenges as key issues in the sustainable development agenda, considering education the foundation of sustainability and promoting Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), although Arabic teaching has not been fully aligned with this framework. This study explores trends in Arabic language teaching that respond to global challenges and contribute to sustainable development through desk research with a qualitative approach, using the Qur’an and Arabic textbooks in Indonesian Islamic schools, along with al-‘Arabiyyah Baina Yadaik and al-Lisān series, as primary sources, and books, sustainable development documents, and scholarly journals as secondary sources. Data were analyzed through substantive analysis, and the findings indicate promising trends in integrating Arabic language teaching with sustainable development principles through problem-based learning (PBL) and content-based instruction (CBI), further examined through the perspective of maqāṣid al-Qur’ān to propose a holistic and integrative paradigm for teaching Arabic in alignment with global sustainability goals.