Transcending Without Disconnecting: The Integrative Epistemology of _Ma’had AlySitubondo_ and Its Model of Endogenous Islamic Legal Reform

This article examines how Ma’had Aly Salafiyah Syafi’iyyahSitubondo,Indonesiadevelops an endogenous and tradition-rooted model of Islamic legal reform through an integrative epistemology that combines bayānī(textual), taʿlīlī(rational-causal), and maqāṣidī(teleological) approaches. The study aims to identify the epistemological principles and institutional mechanisms through which Ma’had Alymaintains continuity with classical turāthand sanadwhile restructuring legal reasoning to address contemporary socio-legal realities. Using a qualitative socio-legal and contextual-hermeneutic approach supported by Critical Discourse Analysis, the research investigates how interpretive authority is negotiated within pedagogical practices, curriculum design, and baḥth al-masāʾildeliberations. The findings show that Ma’had Aly’sepistemic project is not a juxtaposition of interpretive tools but a coherent model of fiqh renewal grounded in the interplay between fiqh al-nuṣūṣ(textual reasoning), fiqh al-wāqiʿ(analysis of social reality), and fiqh al-tanzīl(contextual application). This triadic framework enables the institution to transcend rigid textualism while preserving normative legitimacy through sanad-based authority. The study further demonstrates that Ma’had Aly’sintegrative methodology constitutes a neo-traditionalist reform trajectory, facilitating a shift from qaulīand ilḥāqīreasoning toward a manhajīparadigm guided by maqāṣid al-sharīʿah. Building on these insights, the article proposes the “Integrative Manhaj of Epistemological Renewal” as a theoretical model explaining how pesantren-based higher learning institutions can generate internally legitimate and contextually adaptive jurisprudential reform. While recognizinglimitations stemming from its single-case scope and the cultural specificity of pesantrenepistemology, the study contributes to broader debates on Islamic legal reform in Southeast Asia by demonstrating the capacity of tradition-based institutions to produce transformative yet continuity-preserving legal reasoning.