Ethical Sufism in Education: Reconstruction of the Concept of Zuhd According to Al-Ghazali and Its Model of Actualization in Pesantren Communities
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Abstract
This article aims to reconstruct and actualize the concept of zuhd within the framework of ethical Sufism (tasawwuf akhlaki) as an ethical solution to the modern moral crisis and to formulate its implementative model in Islamic education. This study is motivated by the fact that the modern and digital era is characterized by the strengthening of materialism, hedonism, and consumerism, which contribute to a structural moral crisis in the educational sphere. Educational paradigms that overly emphasize cognitive–instrumental achievements tend to neglect the cultivation of the soul and character. Using a qualitative method with a library research approach, this study examines various references related to ethical Sufism, zuhd, and Islamic character education. The analysis is conducted through content analysis and thematic analysis to identify conceptual patterns and implementation models. The findings indicate that ethical Sufism, grounded in tazkiyat al-nafs and the formation of character through the stages of takhalli, tahalli, and tajalli, has strong relevance in responding to the contemporary moral crisis. The concept of zuhd is reconstructed not as passive asceticism, but as a proportional ethical ethos that views the world as a means rather than an ultimate goal. Its implementation in Islamic education can be realized through the integration of values such as simplicity, self-control, spiritual habituation, and exemplary conduct within the culture of educational institutions. Thus, ethical Sufism based on the concept of zuhd offers a transformative paradigm that is integrative and contextual in cultivating a generation with integrity, moral resilience, and a transcendental orientation in the modern era.
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