Negotiating Sunnah Practices in Pesantren through Institutionalized Iltizām
A Comparative Madhhab Analysis with Pedagogical Implications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24252/mazahibuna.vi.67690Keywords:
Comparative Madhhab, Islamic Education, Islamic Law, Institutionalized Iltizam, Tarbawi ObligationAbstract
Although Islamic jurisprudence clearly distinguishes between wājib and sunnah acts of worship, practices in Indonesian pesantren demonstrate that certain sunnah observances are institutionalized as binding educational obligations. This study examines how these practices are negotiated as educational norms through a comparative analysis of the Shāfiʿī, Ḥanafī, and Mālikī madhhabs. Employing a qualitative multiple-case study, the research was conducted at Pesantren As’adiyah Sengkang, DDI Mangkoso, and Yasrib Soppeng in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Data from in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis were analyzed thematically and interpreted through classical fiqh and uṣūl al-fiqh. The findings reveal three interrelated stages of institutionalization: normative legitimation by kiai, pedagogical operationalization by ustaz, and internalization by santri. This process gives rise to the concept of tarbawi obligation as a form of institutionalized iltizām (The Institutionalization of Islamic Legal Commitment in Social Practice), explaining how sunnah practices acquire institutional binding force without becoming wājib sharʿī (sharīʿah obligation). Comparative analysis further demonstrates that the Shāfiʿī, Ḥanafī, and Mālikī traditions justify such legitimacy through different juristic doctrines while consistently preserving the distinction between religious and institutional obligations. The study contributes to comparative madhhab scholarship by proposing institutionalized iltizām as an analytical framework for explaining how Islamic educational institutions legitimize binding regulations without altering the legal status of sunnah acts of worship.
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