From Faith to Ethical Practice: A Qualitative Exploration of Islamic Workplace Spirituality
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Abstract
This study investigates how Islamic workplace spirituality, spiritual leadership, and faith-based learning interact to shape ethical practice in higher education. Conducted at Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa (UNTIRTA), the research addresses the gap between normative Islamic values and actual academic behavior in the teaching of Islamic Religious Education (PAI). Using a qualitative interpretive approach with multiple case studies, data were collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis. Findingsreveal that spirituality (Taqwa, Trust, Ihsan, and Work as Worship) does not directly produce ethical behavior but requires internalization through faith-based learning processes—reflection, experience, and habituation. Spiritual leadership acts as a contextual enabler, reinforcing the integration of values into learning and practice. Ethical behavior emerges as a situational outcome influenced by academic pressures, peer culture, and leadership consistency. The study contributes a processual model, —From Faith to Ethical Practice, identifying faith-based learning as the missing link and repositioning spiritual leadership as a systemic enabler. These insights provide theoretical contributions to Islamic workplace spirituality and practical implications for redesigning PAI learning and building integrity-based academic culture.
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