<![CDATA[Bullying in boarding institutions harms student well-being and raises safety concerns regarding Islamic boarding schools (pesantren). Although studies examine general risk factors, few address how the parent-like authority of the Kiyai and Ustadz functions in daily dormitory life. This study explores how the spiritual-authoritative parenting of the Kiyai and Ustadz prevents bullying among students (santri) in a West Java Salafiyah pesantren, identifies persisting forms of bullying, and examines limitations to this approach. A qualitative single-case study was conducted (September–November 2024). Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with the Mudir, four Ustadz, and fifteen santri, participant observation, and document analysis, using Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s interactive analysis model alongside source and technique triangulation. Spiritual parenting integrates emotional warmth, consistent discipline, moral modelling (uswah hasanah), and open communication. These function via kitab kuning study, 24-hour paternalistic social control, and educational sanctions (ta’zir). Physical bullying was rare, whereas verbal bullying disguised as jokes (guyonan) persisted. Relational and cyberbullying were harder to detect, and deep reverence (segan) toward the Kiyai restricted direct reporting. The study provides a context-specific model of spiritual parenting as Islamic educational leadership, extends authoritative parenting and social learning frameworks to pesantren, and proposes culturally grounded anti-bullying strategies for school management.]]>
