Maghrib Mengaji as Religious Habituation: A Phenomenological Study of Islamic Character Development in Boarding School Students

Abstract

The development of digital technology has contributed to moral decline, reduced social interaction, and weakened religious commitment among students, while previous studies have largely been descriptive and evaluative without exploring students’ lived experiences in the Maghrib Mengaji program. Purpose: This study aims to explore the meaning of students’ experiences in the Maghrib Mengaji program in relation to Islamic character development in a boarding school context. Methods: This research employs a descriptive phenomenological approach using Colaizzi’s method. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation involving students of SMP Muhammadiyah 2 Jakarta who have participated in the program for at least one year. Findings: The findings show that students’ experiences evolve from external encouragement to inner tranquility, followed by spiritual awareness and a sense of social solidarity in engaging with Qur’anic recitation. Implications: The program is interpreted as a process of value internalization that strengthens students’ connection with the Qur’an, worship discipline, and moral consciousness, indicating that humanistic religious habituation is effective in shaping Islamic character, although its findings are limited to a single institutional context. Originality: This study offers a phenomenological perspective on the internalization of religious values through Maghrib Mengaji, an aspect that remains underexplored in previous research.