Holistic Character Education: Strategic Formation Through the Lens of Al-Ghazali

Abstract

This study aims to reconstruct Al-Ghazali's thoughts on character education through the synthesis of various scientific studies to establish a more systematic conceptual framework. This research employs a qualitative approach with a literature review design, examining Al-Ghazali's ideas in the fields of general and character education. Data analysis was conducted using qualitative content analysis through the processes of identification, thematic classification, coding, conceptual categorization, and conceptual reconstruction analysis. The research findings indicate that, according to Al-Ghazali, character education is built upon four integrated dimensions: moral knowing, which is oriented toward ma'rifah (knowledge) and sharia; moral feeling, rooted in the cultivation of the qalb (heart), intention, and wisdom; moral action, manifested through akhlak (morals), habituation, and role modeling; and moral purification, based on tazkiyat al-nafs (purification of the soul), riyāḍah (spiritual exercise), and mujāhadah (spiritual struggle). These findings represent a conceptual construction that has not been adequately accommodated in modern character education frameworks, thereby serving as the primary contribution of this study. This reconstruction yields a character education model that integrates cognitive, affective, behavioral, and spiritual dimensions, enriching the development of character education theory from a contemporary Islamic educational perspective.