ISLAMIC VALUES AND SPIRITUAL EDUCATION IN THE WORKS OF ABAI

Abstract

Abstract. This article explores the educational potential of Islamic values in Abai’s heritage for the spiritual and moral formation of modern youth. In today’s society, weakening spiritual upbringing and the growing dominance of material desires often lead to a decline in core moral qualities such as compassion, justice, conscience, and responsibility. In this context, Abai’s poetry and “Words of Edification” offer a powerful ethical framework rooted in Islamic morality and national cultural experience. The study analyzes themes of character formation, resistance to selfish desires, patience and moderation, mercy and love, and the dignity of labor and self-improvement in Abai’s poems. It also systematizes the key moral concepts in the “Words of Edification” — “education of the heart,” conscience, purity of intention, and self-knowledge — and relates them to Islamic ethical principles. In addition, the article examines Abai’s calls to knowledge and science (“Do not boast without knowledge,” “Do not be obsessed with appearances,” “I did not value knowledge in my youth”) as a model for motivating youth toward meaningful learning and moral maturity. The findings argue that Abai’s heritage constitutes an integrated pedagogical concept that can strengthen moral orientation and spiritual resilience among youth.

Keywords: Abai; Islamic values; spiritual education; youth; conscience; justice; mercy; moral character; knowledge.