<italic>Islamic Emancipation</italic> as alternative <italic>Maarifa</italic> in education: decoloniality as a holy mission.

Decolonial scholars endeavour to evade the construction of another singularity by rejecting the allure to universalise a single definition of decoloniality and difference, which may claim narratives and praxis that would liberate all peoples but would re-enact other forms of irreflexive violence. For this rationale, we draw on our loci of enunciation to argue for ‘<italic>Islamic Emancipation</italic>’ as a decentring <italic>‘Maarifa’</italic> that resonates with the logics of a substantial number of people (2 billion Muslims as of 2023) to whom Islamic philosophies are legitimate epistemologies for navigating social realities. <italic>Islamic Emancipation</italic> is an onto-epistemological compass through which we generate novel epistemic readings of religious texts into the debates on decoloniality in education. The applied modalities of <italic>Islamic Emancipation</italic> within education can be unpacked through three main approaches. First, by orienting students to process colonial organisation as the oppressive imposition of unequal systems, some assumptions about those who had/have been subject to subtle workings of colonial structures are undermined. Second, educators are epistemic and activist subjects who are entitled to intellectual freedom but with a comparable level of responsibility to act, challenge and intervene. Third, critique and re-interpretation are essential cognitive skills promoted by <italic>Islamic Emancipation</italic> to be prioritised in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]