Pesantren and the Freedom of Thinking (Study of Ma’had Aly Pesantren Sukorejo
Situbondo, East Java, Indonesia)
by: Hatim Gazali & Abd. Malik
Abstract
Various studies on Pesantren have been conducted through various
lenses and perspectives; however its attractiveness is still there. In
some positions, the pesantren is well known as a conservative
institution in which freedom of thinking is limited. This article is
willing to show that not all pesantrens limit their students’ freedom
of thinking. One of them is Ma’had Aly (higher education), one of the
education institution in Pesantren Salafiyah Syafiiyah Sukorejo
Situbondo which focuses its teaching on fiqh. Fiqh, or islamic
jurisprudence, is one the branches of islamic science. In some
pesantrens, the teaching of fiqh is limited to one school or madhhab,
particularly school of Shafi’i. However, in Ma’had Aly, not only one
school of thought is taught, but fiqh of four schools of thought. It
shows a high tolerance and respect for differences. In order to seek a
new ingredient in formulating islamic law, the teaching of fiqh is
combined with other sciences such as philosophy, sociology, and
anthropology. This new ingredient produces a rich discourse of fiqh and
widens its scope of discussion to include to religious relationship,
gender, human right, ecology, and other contemporary issues such as
interfaith marriage, the possibility of a non-Muslim being presiden,
and the role of women in the public sphere. Looking from the
curriculum, the method of teaching, and the publication of bulletin of
Tanwirul Afkar, this article proves that freedom of thinking is
well-maintained at Ma’had Aly.
Key Words: Ma’had Aly, freedom of thinking, and Pesantren
Sources: Journal of Al-Jamia’ah, Vol. 47. No.2, 2009
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