<![CDATA[Academic failure is a common experience among adolescents and frequently brings anxiety, shame, and a decline in motivation. From an Islamic perspective, failure can also be read as a spiritual test (ibtila') that opens a path towards tazkiyatun nafs, the purification of the soul. This study aims to explore how tenth-grade students of SMAN 3 Kerinci interpret academic failure and how the process of tazkiyatun nafs unfolds in their lived experience. A qualitative phenomenological design was adopted, involving ten participants chosen through purposive sampling. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation, and documentation, and were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), with triangulation, member checking, and an audit trail to support trustworthiness. The results show that students moved from shame, anxiety, and disappointment towards reflection, acceptance, and a renewed commitment to learning. They described this movement through three stages: takhalli (releasing negative traits), tahalli (cultivating positive virtues), and tajalli (inner tranquillity and spiritual closeness), with the support of guidance and counselling teachers and the school's Rohis community. The study contributes to Islamic psychology by presenting academic failure as an experience of tazkiyatun nafs, and it offers a basis for an Islamic Phenomenological Counselling model that still needs to be tested in future research.]]>
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