<![CDATA[Character education in Islamic schools depends not only on students’ knowledge of religious doctrine but also on the extent to which faith becomes an internal moral orientation. This study examined the relationship between understanding faith in Allah and the formation of religious character among Grade VIII students at Madrasah Tsanawiyah Negeri Model Kota Palopo, Indonesia. The study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design in which quantitative evidence was collected first and then elaborated through qualitative data. All 35 students in Class VIII A were included. Quantitative data were obtained through a Likert-scale questionnaire covering faith-related indicators of tawhid, mahabbah, khauf, tawakkul, and taqwa, and religious-character indicators including sincerity, honesty, discipline, and obedience to rules. Observation, interviews with a teacher and selected students, and documentation were used to explain the survey findings. Descriptively, 31.42% of students were classified as having good understanding of faith in Allah, 51.42% as adequate, and 17.14% as low. Religious character was reported as good for 48.57% of students, adequate for 28.57%, and low for 22.85%. The original quantitative analysis reported a chi-square value of 4.599 and a contingency coefficient of 0.340, indicating a low-strength relationship under the thesis analytical framework. Qualitative findings showed that faith understanding was expressed through muraqabah-based honesty, personal responsibility, worship discipline, resilience, and social care, while teacher modeling, habituation, school climate, and family support strengthened character formation. The findings suggest that understanding faith in Allah contributes to religious character, but it should be treated as one element within a broader school-based character-education system rather than as a single determinant.]]>
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