Perpustakaan dalam peradaban Islam Kontribusi terhadap pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan dan pendidikan

Abstract

Islamic civilization is renowned not only for its architectural grandeur and vast territorial reach but also for a deeply embedded intellectual tradition sustained by scholarly institutions, chief among them the library. This article critically examines the role of libraries in Islamic civilization, particularly their contribution to the development of knowledge and educational systems from the classical to the medieval period. Employing a library research methodology grounded in historical-analytical and comparative approaches, the study draws on an extensive range of primary and secondary sources. Findings reveal that Islamic libraries, from Bayt al-Hikmah in Baghdad and Dar al-'Ilm in Cairo to the great libraries of Andalusia, functioned far beyond mere repositories of manuscripts. These institutions served as dynamic centers of translation, knowledge production, and cross-disciplinary scholarly discourse, bringing together intellectuals from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. Islamic libraries played a pivotal role in transmitting the intellectual heritage of ancient Greece, Persia, and India to Europe, positioning them as one of history's most consequential civilizational bridges. The article further explores the contemporary relevance of the Islamic library model for modern knowledge institutions in the Muslim world. The study concludes that Islamic libraries were not passive entities but active agents in shaping the global epistemology of science.