The Concept of Ghaflah in Islamic Education and Its Relevance to the “Brainrot” Phenomenon Among Generation Z
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15642/joies.2026.11.1.231-260Keywords:
brainrot, Islamic education, Generation Z, Digital era, GhaflahAbstract
Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis konsep al-ghaflah dalam perspektif pendidikan Islam serta relevansinya terhadap fenomena brainrot pada Generasi Z di era digital. Penelitian menggunakan metode studi pustaka (library research) dengan pendekatan kualitatif-deskriptif melalui penelaahan berbagai sumber ilmiah berupa artikel jurnal, buku, tafsir Al-Qur’an, hadis, dan literatur akademik yang relevan. Data dianalisis menggunakan teknik analisis tematik untuk mengidentifikasi hubungan konseptual antara al-ghaflah dan brainrot. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa al-ghaflah merupakan kondisi kelalaian yang menyebabkan menurunnya kesadaran spiritual, intelektual, dan moral, sedangkan brainrot menggambarkan penurunan fokus, kemampuan berpikir mendalam, dan kesadaran reflektif akibat konsumsi konten digital yang berlebihan. Kedua konsep tersebut memiliki kesamaan karakteristik berupa hilangnya kesadaran reflektif, dominasi hiburan instan, melemahnya pengendalian diri, dan terjadinya krisis perhatian (attention crisis) yang diperkuat oleh fenomena doomscrolling dan endless scrolling. Dampak yang ditimbulkan tidak hanya bersifat kognitif, tetapi juga memengaruhi kualitas ibadah, kemampuan berpikir kritis, disiplin waktu, serta tanggung jawab sosial. Oleh karena itu, pendidikan Islam memiliki peran strategis dalam mengatasi fenomena tersebut melalui penguatan kesadaran, dzikir, tafakkur, muhasabah, literasi digital Islami, pengendalian diri, manajemen waktu, serta penguatan karakter dan adab digital.
Downloads
References
Adawiyah, R., & Inten, D. N. “Educational Values from Surah Al-A’raf Verse 179 on the Importance of Optimizing the Roles of the Heart, Mind, Sight, and Hearing in Avoiding Negligent Behavior (Ghaflah).” Conference Series: Islamic Education 2, no. 2 (2022): 553–58. https://doi.org/10.29313/bcsied.v2i2.3892.
Al-Ashfahani, Al-Raghib. (2009). Al-Mufradat Fi Gharib Al-Qur’an. Beirut: Dar al-Ma‘rifah.
Al-Attas, Syed Muhammad Naquib. The Concept of Education in Islam: A Framework for an Islamic Philosophy. Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC, 1980.
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. (2004). *Madārij al-Sālikīn bayna Manāzil Iyyāka Na'budu wa Iyyāka Nasta'īn* (Vols. 1–3). Beirut, Lebanon: Dār al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah.
Al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid. (2011). Iḥyā’ ‘Ulūm Al-Dīn. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah.
Bandura, A., & Walters, R. H. (1977). “Social Learning Theory.” Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Braun, Virginia, Victoria Clarke, Virginia Braun, and Victoria Clarke. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” *Qualitative Research in Psychology 3, no. 2 (2006): 77–101. https:// doi.org/ 10.1191/ 1478088706qp063oa.
Carr, N. (2010). The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains*. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Dijital, Aşırı, İçerik Tüketimi, Gerileme Beyin, and Fırat Ünsal. “Excessive Digital Content Consumption and Cognitive Decline: A Current Review of the ‘Brain Rot’ Phenomenon.” Current Approaches in Psychiatry 18, no. 2 (2026): 498–509. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.18863/Pgy.1644556.
Firmansyah, Rio Ade, and Muhammad Kurnaini. “Brain Rot as a Moral Challenge for the Younger Generation.” Journal of Educational Management 11, no. 2 (2026): 2136–50. https:// Doi.org/ 10.34125/ Jmp.V11i2.2013.
Habibi, Ahmad Alwan, Kharis Nugroho, and Syamsul Hidayat. “The Concept of Al-Ghaflah in the Qur’an as a Qur’anic Ethical Framework for Mitigating a Distracted Society in the Digital Era.” Al Karima: Journal of Qur’anic Studies and Exegesis, 10, no. 1 (2026): 78–94. https://doi.org/10.58438/alkarima.v10i1.567
Haidt, J. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. New York: Penguin, 2024.
Harahap, Muhammad Yunan. “The Internalization of Mujahadah An-Nafs (Self-Control) in Strengthening Students’ Akhlakul Karimah.” TARLIM Journal of Islamic Education 7, no. 2 (2024): 155–66. https://doi.org/110.32528/tarlim.v7i2.2308
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. (1985). Madarij Al-Salikin: Stages of Spiritual Awareness in Drawing Closer to Allah. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya.
Indriyani, Cempaka, et al. “Endless Scrolling: The Impact of Doomscrolling on the Mental Health of Gen Z in Karawang.” EduInovasi: Journal of Basic Educational Studies 5, no. 2 (2025): 1569–1578. https://doi.org/10.47467/edu.v5i2.9741
John W. Cresswell. (2014) “Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Publications, Incorporated.” In Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches.
Kellner, Douglas, Jeff Share, and Eric Fehr. “The Critical Media Literacy Guide: Engaging Media and Transforming Education.” Engaging Media and Transforming Education 2, no. 1 (2021): 2021.
Leites, Adrien. “Ghafla in Ghazālī’s Scale of Action: Meaningful Word or Device of Argument?” Muslim World 113, no. 4 (2024): 447–68. https://doi.org/10.1111/muwo.12482.
Luo, Wanying, Xinran Zhao, Bingshan Jiang, Qiang Fu, and Juan Zheng. “Swiping Disrupts Switching: Preliminary Evidence for Reduced Cue-Based Preparation Following Short-Form Video Exposure.” Behavioral Sciences 15, no. 8 (2025): 1–13.
Mohamed, Ahmed, Fahmy Yousef, Alsaeed Alshamy, Ahmed Tlili, Ahmed Hosny, and Saleh Metwally. “Demystifying the New Dilemma of Brain Rot in the Digital Era: A Review.” *Brain Sciences* 15, no. 3 (2025): 1–16. https://doi.org/igital-Era: A rhttps://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15030283.
Muhammad, Adi, Nur Ihsan, Abdul Wildan, Hamdan Syarief, Abdul Wildan, and Abdul Hakim. “Brain Rot as a Mediator of Social Media Use, Mental Well-Being, and Employee Productivity.” Asian Journal of Business and Economics 20, no. 1 (2026): 51–58. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.32815/jibeka.v20i1.2421.
Neng, N. N. “The Concept of Students in the Quran and Its Implications for Islamic Education in the Digital Age.” Edu-Riligia: Journal of Islamic and Religious Education 7, no. 1 (2023): 35–56.
Nining Khurrotul Aini Noer Rohmah Mahmoud Ismail Lutfi Japakiya. “Transformation of Islamic Educational Values in Generation Z: Challenges and Opportunities.” Syamil Journal of Islamic Education 13, no. 2 (2025): 204–22. https:// doi.org/ 10.21093/ sy.v13i2.10862.
Novansk, Lucia, Lucia Vitekov, Mass Media Communication, Mass Media Communication, Lucia Novansk, and Jozefu Herdu. “Problematic Short-Form Video Use, Instant Gratification, Impulsivity, and Psychological Distress Among Slovak University Students.” Studies in Media and Communication 13, no. 4 (2025): 326–41. https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v13i4.7776
Nur, M. S., Isnaeni, A., & Masruchin, D. M. “Ghaflah and Its Counterterm ‘ Ẓilal Al-Qur’an Global Education Journal 2, no. 2 (2024): 123–38. https://doi.org/10.59525/gej.v2i2.354.
Nurlaila, Cindy, Qurrotul Aini, Sharla Setyawati, and April Laksana. “The Dynamics of Gen Z Behavior as the Internet Generation.” Konsensus: Journal of Defense Studies, Law, and Communication Sciences 1, no. 6 (2024): 95–102. https:// doi.org/ 10.62383/
Oberauer, K. “Working Memory and Attention—A Conceptual Analysis and Review.” 2, no. 1–36 (2019). https:// doi.10.5334/ joc.58.
Özbay, Özkan. “Brain Rot Among University Students in the Digital Age: A Phenomenological Study.” Current Psychiatry Reports 28, no. 11 (2026): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-025-01658-w.
Prawoko, Ryan, Luqi Darmawan, and Muhammad Syuhada Subir. “Islamic Religious Education Teachers’ Strategies in Dealing with the Brain Rot Phenomenon in Students.” Jurnal Paradigma 17, no. 2 (2025): 198–215. https://doi.org/in’ Students. Jurnal Paradig. https://doi.org/10.53961/paradigma.v17i2.380
Qutb, Sayyid. (1966). Fi Zhilal Al-Qur’an. Cairo: Dar al-Shuruq.
Rahman, Dimas Maulana. “Islamic Education as a Foundation for Mental Resilience in the Digital Age.” An-Nur Journal of Education and Learning 1, no. 1 (2025): 58–82. https://doi.org/10.65802/an-nur.v1i1.4.
Rixen, J. O., Meinhardt, L. M., Glöckler, M., Ziegenbein, M. L., Schlothauer, A., Colley, M., ... & Gugenheimer, J. “The Loop and Reasons to Break It: Investigating Infinite Scrolling Behavior in Social Media Applications and Reasons to Stop.” Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 7, no. MHCI (2023): 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1145/3604275.
Rofiq, Ainur, and Inner Peace. “Contemplation and Remembrance in Achieving Inner Peace.” Conseils: Journal of Islamic Guidance and Counseling 3, no. 1 (2023): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.55352/
Shihab, M. Quraish. (2000) Tafsir Al-Misbah. Jakarta: Lentera Hati.
Snyder, Hannah. “Literature Review as a Research Methodology: An Overview and Guidelines.” Journal of Business Research 104, no. March (2019): 333–39. https:// doi.org/ 10.1016/ j.jbusres.2019.07.039.
Twenge, J. M. (2017). IGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy, and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood—and What That Means for the Rest of Us. Simon & Schuster.
Ulwan, A. N. (1977). Tarbiyah Islamiyah: Islamic Education and the Formation of the Muslim Personality. Beirut: Al-Maktab Al-Islami.
Wolf, M., & Potter, K. (2018). Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World*. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Yusuf, Ahmad. “Conceptualization of an Integrative Islamic Education Model in Indonesian Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI).” DAYAH: Journal of Islamic Education 4, no. 2 (2021): 233. https:// doi.org/ 10.22373/jie.v4i2.10065.
Yusuf Al-Qaradawi. Fiqh Al-Siyahah: The Concept of Travel in Islam. Cairo: Dar Al-Shorouk, 2000.
Zannettou, Savvas, Olivia Nemes-nemeth, Angelica Goetzen, Krishna P. Gummadi, and Elissa M. Redmiles. Analyzing User Engagement with TikTok’s Short-Format Video Recommendations Using Data Donations. Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Vol. 1. Association for Computing Machinery, 2024. https:// doi.org/ 10.1145/3613904.3642433.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Neng Sinulingga, Amsal Qori Dalimunthe

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.





