Understanding students’ experiences with generative AI in Arabic language education at Islamic universities in Indonesia

The rapid development of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping language learning in higher education, yet its integration within Islamic Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) remains underexplored, particularly in relation to students’ ethical and spiritual experiences. This study investigates how students in Indonesian Islamic HEIs interpret and make meaning of GenAI use in Arabic language learning, and how this engagement shapes emerging learning competencies in the AI era. Employing an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework, data were collected through in-depth interviews, analysis of artifact-based evidence, and interview reflection. The findings show that students experience GenAI not merely as a technical aid, but as a practice governed by moral and spiritual considerations such as niat (intention), amanah (responsibility), berkah (meaningful benefit), and ridho (ethical accountability to lecturers). These concepts actively shape learning practices, including cautious use of AI outputs, verification of information, development of independent arguments, and the continued positioning of lecturers as reflective and epistemic authorities. GenAI is thus understood as a bounded learning partner rather than a substitute for human guidance. The study identifies key competencies required for effective learning with GenAI, including ethically grounded AI literacy, reflective self-regulation, spiritual balance, adaptability, collaboration, and academic responsibility. By foregrounding students’ lived moral–spiritual reasoning, this research offers a context-sensitive contribution to global discussions on the role of values and moral reasoning in AI-mediated learning, emphasizing the value of phenomenological perspectives in understanding AI-mediated learning as interpreted through students’ moral and spiritual frameworks within Islamic higher education.