Adab in Teacher–Student Relations: An Analysis of Al-Ghazali’s Educational Thought
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35719/adabiyah.v7i1.1263Keywords:
Adab, Teacher–Student Relations, Character Education, Al-GhazaliAbstract
This study addresses the growing erosion of adab (ethical and moral conduct) in contemporary teacher–student relations by examining Al-Ghazali’s educational thought as a normative–philosophical framework. Employing a qualitative library research design with an analytical approach, the study draws primarily on Al-Ghazali’s Ihya’ Ulum al-Din, supported by relevant secondary literature from books and peer-reviewed journals. Data were analyzed using content analysis to reconstruct Al-Ghazali’s conceptualization of adab within educational relationships. The findings reveal that Al-Ghazali’s notion of adab is holistic and spiritually grounded, integrating ethical, pedagogical, and metaphysical dimensions. For students, adab entails reverence for the teacher, disciplined learning, and the practical embodiment of knowledge. For teachers, it is reflected in sincerity of intention, compassion, moral exemplarity, and pedagogical sensitivity to students’ intellectual capacities. This relationship is founded on a spiritual ethic in which the teacher functions as a murabbi, responsible for students’ moral and spiritual formation rather than the mere transmission of knowledge. The study argues that Al-Ghazali’s framework offers a substantive theoretical contribution to contemporary educational discourse by re-centering adab as a core principle for restoring the ethical and humanistic foundations of modern education.
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