Character Education Based on Ngaji Rasa in Salaf Islamic Boarding Schools and Its Implications for Strengthening PAI Learning

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Authors

Abu Warasy Batula
Agus Fakhruddin
Achmad Faqihuddin
Keywords:
Ngaji Rasa, Character Education, Salaf Islamic Boarding School, Islamic Education, Spirituality

Abstract

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This study aims to explore spirituality-based character education through the Ngaji Rasa program in salaf Islamic boarding schools and its implications for strengthening Islamic Religious Education (PAI) in formal schools. Using a qualitative method with a case study approach at the Azziyadah Islamic Boarding School, data was collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and documentation studies. The results reveal that Ngaji Rasa is implemented through four main pillars: direct learning, religious tourism, creative economic empowerment, and respect for the kiai. Through this ecosystem, santri internalize essential character values such as obedience, patience, sincerity, responsibility, and tazkiyatun nafs or purification of the soul. The findings show that Ngaji Rasa functions as experiential moral education that balances the dimensions of dzikir (spiritual), fikir (rational), and amal (practical action). The implications for PAI in formal schools include the need for a paradigm shift towards a holistic approach that integrates cognitive, affective, and psychomotor aspects. This study recommends strengthening the role of teachers as spiritual role models (murabbi) and implementing experience-based learning to overcome the moral crisis of the younger generation. The integration of the inner values of Islamic boarding schools is expected to create more meaningful and transformative PAI learning for students' character in the contemporary era.

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