<![CDATA[Abstract. Islamic religious education rests on three pillars faith (aqidah), sharia, and akhlak (ihsan) which should culminate in a stable, spontaneous moral character. Yet a persistent gap exists between religious theory and everyday behavior, evident in eroding social-media ethics, online gambling, student violence, academic plagiarism, and declining respect toward teachers and parents. These phenomena suggest that religious education often reaches only the cognitive or memorization level without shaping genuine moral character. This library research uses a qualitative approach with the tahlili interpretation method to analyze Q.S. Al-Ma'arij verses 22–35, drawing on five tafsir works: Ibn Katsir, At-Tabari, Al-Qurthubi, Al-Maraghi, and the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs' tafsir. It aims to uncover the mufassirs' interpretations, relate them to Islamic educational theory on the ideal believer, and formulate the educational values embedded in the text. Findings show that the ideal believer is not merely personally pious but socially mature. The passage begins and ends with continuous, well-maintained prayer (da'imun and yuhafizhun), which eliminates complaint (halu'an) and miserliness (manu'an) and gives rise to concrete social action: spending part of one's wealth, guarding one's honor, keeping promises, safeguarding trust (amanah), and giving honest testimony. The study also distinguishes akhlak from character: character rests on reasoning and social habituation (Lickona, Kohlberg), while akhlak stems from inner consciousness rooted in Islamic values (Al-Ghazali). This research offers a conceptual, Qur'an-based reference for educators, students, and future researchers to help close the moral gap between religious theory and everyday practice. Keywords: Q. S. Al-Ma'arij verses 22-35, ideal believer, educational values. Abstrak. Pendidikan Agama Islam berpijak pada tiga pilar utama iman (akidah), Islam (syariat), dan ihsan (akhlak) yang seharusnya bermuara pada terbentuknya kondisi jiwa yang stabil dan spontan. Namun realitanya, muncul kesenjangan antara pemahaman teori agama dan perilaku sehari-hari, tampak dari hilangnya etika di media sosial, maraknya judi online, kekerasan antarpelajar, plagiarisme akademik, hingga menurunnya sopan santun terhadap guru dan orang tua. Fenomena ini mengindikasikan bahwa pendidikan agama sering kali baru menyentuh aspek kognitif atau hafalan, belum membentuk akhlak yang sesungguhnya. Penelitian kepustakaan ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode tafsir tahlili terhadap Q. S. Al-Ma'arij ayat 22–35, merujuk pada lima kitab tafsir: Ibnu Katsir, Ath-Thabari, Al-Qurthubi, Al-Maraghi, dan Tafsir Kemenag RI. Penelitian bertujuan menganalisis esensi ayat menurut para mufassir, mengaitkannya dengan teori pendidikan Islam tentang karakteristik mukmin ideal, serta merumuskan nilai-nilai pendidikan yang terkandung di dalamnya. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa mukmin ideal tidak hanya saleh secara personal, tetapi juga matang secara sosial. Kata Kunci: Q. S. Al-Ma'arij ayat 22-35, mukmin ideal, nilai-nilai pendidikan.]]>
