<![CDATA[The urgency of holistic education that balances cognitive and affective outcomes remains a pressing issue in the globalization era, as schools often prioritize hard skills over character development. This study explores the underexplored role of Islamic religious education in fostering students' soft skills, including empathy, tolerance, teamwork, and emotional management. The research aims to examine teachers' perceptions, instructional methods, and challenges in implementing Islamic education to develop soft skills. Using an explorative-qualitative method, data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation at MAN Jember I, then analyzed descriptively through data categorization and validity checks. The findings reveal that Islamic education teachers hold positive perceptions of soft skill development but face significant constraints, such as limited instructional time, cognitive-oriented curricula, and students' varied religious backgrounds. Common teaching methods remain confined to lectures and discussions, with insufficient field-based or experiential learning. The study concludes that soft skill integration through Islamic education remains suboptimal and recommends unifying teacher perceptions, extending instructional hours, and adopting outdoor methods like contemplative learning to observe social realities. Urgensi pendidikan holistik yang menyeimbangkan aspek kognitif dan afektif menjadi isu krusial di era globalisasi, di mana sekolah sering memprioritaskan hard skill dibanding pengembangan karakter. Penelitian ini mengeksplorasi peran pendidikan agama Islam yang belum banyak dikaji dalam membangun soft skill siswa, meliputi empati, toleransi, kerja sama tim, dan pengelolaan emosi. Tujuannya adalah untuk mengetahui persepsi guru, metode pengajaran, serta kendala implementasi pendidikan agama Islam dalam membangun soft skill siswa. Dengan metode kualitatif eksploratif, data dikumpulkan melalui observasi, wawancara, dan dokumentasi di MAN Jember I, lalu dianalisis secara deskriptif melalui penyusunan kategori dan validitas data. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa guru memiliki persepsi positif terhadap pengembangan soft skill, namun menghadapi kendala signifikan seperti minimnya alokasi waktu pembelajaran, orientasi kurikulum yang kognitif, dan latar belakang siswa yang beragam. Metode yang digunakan masih terbatas pada ceramah dan diskusi, tanpa pengalaman belajar di lapangan. Kesimpulannya, implementasi pendidikan agama Islam dalam membangun soft skill siswa belum optimal. Rekomendasi penelitian ini adalah perlunya penyatuan persepsi guru, penambahan jam pelajaran, serta penerapan metode luar kelas seperti tadabur alam.]]>
