KH. Sahal Mahfudz represents Indonesia’s traditional ulama (salaf) with an open mind to change. His existence is crucial because he has held various highest positions in several leading Indonesian religious institutions, such as Chairman (Rais Aam) of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) for three periods and as Chairman of the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) for 15 years. This article highlights his thoughts on integrating Islamic education with socio-cultural and scientific contexts. By examining his works, this article concludes that Islamic education, according to KH. Sahal Mahfudz has an integrative function with four main criteria. First, it has an integrated fundamental role. Second, it is not closed, not isolated from the socio-cultural context and has an accommodative attitude, and is open to revitalization. Third, it supports an interdisciplinary-multidisciplinary way of thinking. Fourth, it has an innovative character by bringing together tradition and modernity. From these findings, this article mentions these ideas as open Islamic education of KH. Sahal Mahfudz.

Introduction

This article wants to emphasize that between religious education with the socio-cultural context and science has an inseparable relationship. The discourse on the relationship between religious education, socio-culture and science often does not meet and even contradicts each other. Some religious education is able to accommodate the socio-cultural conditions that surround it and some are not. Experience in various countries around the world shows differences. Experience in the UK shows that religious education has weaknesses that are less compatible with the conditions of a democratic and increasingly diverse British society. Religious education is considered incompatible with the goals of liberal education and the social goals that exist there (Philip Barnes and Felderhof 2014); (Barnes 2006). This means that in this context, religious education has not been able to adjust to the phenomena that develop in its environment.

On the other hand, for example in the Dobruja region in the Eastern European part of Romania and Bulgaria, it shows that religious education is able to contextually maintain tolerance for religious diversity. In addition, religious education can maintain and create an open attitude, mutual respect, balancing values, traditions and lifestyles among one another (Stan 2018). In keeping up with developments, religious education is heavily influenced by national differences, religious cultural heritage and cultural complexity (Johannessen and Skeie 2019). Even religious education can act as a positive political space to deal with social issues, such as the exploration of social justice due to discrimination and can also increase awareness and understanding of diversity (Farrell 2014); (Irham 2017). Religious education has also developed an orientation towards the ability to integrate with worldviews (Bråten and Everington 2019). From this second view, it shows that religious education is able to follow and adapt changes to the socio-cultural context.

More specifically, in the context of Islamic education this is also the case. Some Islamic education is able to integrate with the social context that surrounds it and some are not related and even contradictory. The case in Pakistan is one example, Islamic education is considered unable to participate in mainstream economic activities. The madrassas there are further distancing the disenfranchised from finding a decent living welfare and they are not preparing their students to be involved in addressing the problem (Anjum 2017). As if Islamic education has no responsibility for the existing socio-cultural problems, its existence stands alone and does not care about its surroundings. On the other hand, madrassas have become a trigger and driver for the growth of radical Islamic idiology. Cases like this happen a lot in Africa (Antwi-Boateng 2017). Under these conditions, instead of developing knowledge, the role of solving community problems still feels heavy.

On the other hand, Islamic education continues to reform to respond to social problems and scientific needs. One evidence that can be shown is the growth of Islamic education for women. In the previous tradition of Islamic education, women did not get the opportunity to participate in formal education, they just studied at home. In the 1970s there was a massive movement that provided opportunities for women to attend education. This was the era of the great revival of Islamic education that tried to keep up with the development of the world so that many women's madrassas, Islamic schools and many informal study centers appeared to support it. With this development, many Muslim women scientists emerged (Bano 2019).

The relationship between Islamic education with the socio-cultural context and science, this article highlights specifically in the Indonesian context. The question to be answered is how does Islamic education relate to the socio-cultural and scientific context in Indonesia? This article investigates a figure who is the main reference including in the field of Islamic education, namely KH>. Sahal Mahfudh. In the Indonesian context, this figure has a strong influence because of his position as the highest leader of the largest Islamic community organization in Indonesia, namely as Rai>s 'A<m of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) and as chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). KH. Sahal Mahfudh is a practitioner as well as a manager of educational institutions that grew out of the Indonesian Islamic education environment. The primary sources of this study are the works written by KH Sahal Mahfudh.

Previous studies that discuss KH. Sahal Mahfudh have been done a lot, this can be found from books or scientific journals that discuss him. In several national scientific journals, or books on the market, almost the majority of studies about him revolve around Islamic law or the concept of social fiqh. Studies on this, for example, are written by Sumanto Al Qurtubi (2017) who discusses Kyai Sahal as the future of Indonesian fiqh, then the study of productive zakat and social fiqh is seen as the fiqh of civilization studied by (Asmani 2014; Ma'mur 2015) and many others. Beyond that, there is also a study that highlights the thought of Islam Nusantara conducted by Munawir Aziz (2015). This study traces the geneology of Kyai Sahal's Nusantara Islamic thought from Kyai Mutamakkin.

Other studies related to education have not been done much. Among the few who do are (Budiwiranto 2009). His study discusses pesantren and participatory development as a field study whose focus is not Kyai Sahal but the educational institution he oversees, namely Maslakul Huda Islamic boarding school. There are others about the transformation of pesantren (Effendi and Suradi 2014), then about family education (Al-Nashr 2016). From previous studies on Kyai Sahal, no one has highlighted holistically his thoughts on Islamic education in relation to the socio-cultural and scientific context. Even though he is a religious figure, an Islamic education figure who was born and grew out of Islamic educational institutions, the leader of the largest Islamic mass organization, a social activist, and a writer. From the works that have been produced, there are many that explain about Islamic education, therefore this is where the study is carried out to fill the void.

https://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/studia-islamika/article/view/14657