Lived Spirituality among Islamic Education Students Facing Moral Crisis

Abstract

Spirituality has become an increasingly important topic in the field of Islamic Education, particularly in light of modern moral challenges facing university students. While previous studies have emphasized behavioral or doctrinal aspects of religiosity, few have explored how students subjectively experience spirituality as a lived reality. However, little is known about how Islamic Education students interpret and embody spirituality when facing ethical dilemmas in a rapidly changing moral landscape. This study employs an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to examine the lived experiences of eight undergraduate Islamic Education students at a university in Indonesia navigating spiritual identity during times of moral tension. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews, the analysis identified four core themes: seeking meaning in moral chaos, spirituality as internal resistance, the influence of role models, and transformative spiritual encounters. These findings suggest that spirituality is not merely a set of religious practices, but a personal process of moral navigation shaped by self-reflection, crisis, and contextual challenges. The study extends understanding of student spirituality by highlighting its dynamic and experiential nature, often overlooked in quantitative and descriptive research. These results underscore the importance of integrating reflective, student-centered pedagogies in Islamic Education and offer valuable insights for future studies exploring youth spirituality in diverse socio-cultural settings.