UNDERSTANDING RELIGIOUS MODERATION THROUGH THE SIRAH NABAWIYAH: DEVELOPING ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS EDUCATION MATERIALS THAT EMPHASIS THE VALUE OF TOLERANCE IN MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY

Abstract

The concept of religious moderation, although crucial for the integrity of Indonesia's multicultural society, is often perceived as a secular discourse and lacks authoritative grounding in Islamic treasury, thus its acceptance is limited. On the other hand , Islamic Religious Education (PAI) as the primary means of instilling values is considered to still tend to be doctrinaire and has not yet fully explored the potential of the Prophet's Sirah, especially the Medina period, as a source of practical examples for building an inclusive and just social order. This literature review aims to address this problem by examining the principle of moderation in the Prophet's Sirah and developing it into Islamic Religious Education materials that emphasize the value of tolerance. The results reveal that the Prophet's Sirah, especially the Medina Charter, constitutes a complete paradigm of moderation that prioritizes legal recognition of plurality, universal justice, and active tolerance. These values are then integrated into Islamic Religious Education materials through a narrative recontextualization strategy and a value-based thematic approach, which is responsive to Indonesia's multicultural context. Students' responses to the developed material were very positive, marked by changes in perception and increased empathy and commitment to justice. In conclusion, the Sirah Nabawiyah offers a strong historical-theological foundation for religious moderation, and its integration into Islamic Religious Education (PAI) is a strategic step to shape the inclusive character of the younger generation. The implementation of the research results is recommended in the form of a teacher training program to master contextual Sirah-based material teaching strategies, as well as the development of prototype textbooks and teacher guides that can be adopted in the Islamic Religious Education curriculum at various levels of education.