Comparative Islamic Leadership (Al-Ghazali at Fathul Ulum vs. Ibn Qayyim at Nur El-Falah Islamic Boarding School)

Abstract

This study examines the implementation of Imam Al-Ghazali’s and Ibn Qayyim Al-Jauziyya’s Islamic educational leadership models in Fathul Ulum Kwagean and Nur El-Falah Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia. Using a qualitative approach with a comparative field study design, data were generated through semi structured interviews with 15 administrators and 20 final year students, participant observation over six weeks, and institutional document analysis. Data analysis employed an inductive thematic model following Miles and Huberman to identify patterns in leadership practices, disciplinary systems, and spiritual formation. The findings indicate that the educational outcomes in both institutions reflect the genuine influence of the adopted leadership models rather than merely technical variations in implementation. Al-Ghazali’s normative ethical approach, grounded in riyadhah and tazkiyat al-nafs, fosters strong spiritual discipline and high student compliance, while Ibn Qayyim’s reformative pragmatic model, emphasizing tarbiyah al-qalb and balanced character development, contributes to a notable reduction in student violations through proportional advice and contextual flexibility. Despite methodological differences, both models share core sharia based values justice, faith, trustworthiness, and public benefit highlighting the continued relevance of classical Islamic leadership paradigms for contemporary Islamic boarding school management.