Hadith Based Character Education: Reconstructing Self-Control to Counter the Impact of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO)

Abstract

This research addresses the digital character crisis driven by the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) syndrome among Muslim youth. The study aims to reconstruct the Hadith-based concept of self-control (mujahadah an-nafs) as a character education strategy to counter digital anxiety. Employing a qualitative descriptive-analytic case study integrated with Fazlur Rahman’s Double Movement framework, this study analyzes textual data from the canonical Kutub al-Tis'ah alongside modern psychological literature. The findings reveal structural equivalences between the 7th-century Jahiliyyah socio cultural pressures and modern social media dynamics. Consequently, a prophetic self-control matrix is formulated into four preventive pillars: digital qana'ah (contentment), anti-envy digital ethics, psychological patience therapy, and social media detoxification. This study practically contributes a concrete pedagogical blueprint for Islamic educational institutions to foster resilient, siber adaptive student behavior.