Reconstructing Pesantren Epistemology: Modernizing the Kitab Kuning Curriculum in the Digital Era (A Case Study at Pesantren Darul Huda Mayak Ponorogo)

Abstrak

Globalization and digital disruption necessitate the modernization of Islamic boarding schools (pesantren). However, this transition often raises concerns regarding an epistemic crisis, particularly the reduction of chain-of-transmission authority (sanad) and the erosion of the sacredness of classical texts (kitab kuning). This qualitative case study aims to analyze the epistemological reconstruction of the kitab kuning curriculum at Pondok Pesantren Darul Huda Mayak Ponorogo in negotiating salaf traditions with information technology. Data were gathered through participant observation, in-depth interviews with teachers (asatidz) and students (santri), and documentation, and then analyzed inductively using triangulation. The results indicate that, within Muhammad Abed al-Jabiri’s framework, Darul Huda Mayak is fundamentally characterized by the dominance of Bayani Epistemology, which is reflected in its strict preservation of textual-linguistic traditions through the halaqah system (sorogan and bandongan). However, the pesantren successfully achieves an epistemic synchronization by integrating Burhani Epistemology through a double-track formal education system and techno-pedagogical infrastructure, while concurrently reinforcing Irfani Epistemology through the preservation of adab and spiritual authority. This study presents a conceptual novelty termed Neo-Pesantren Epistemology, a hybrid framework that demonstrates how technological adaptation does not compromise the originality of Salaf. Instead, it serves as a strategic-reconstructive instrument to strengthen, preserve, and actualize the intellectual treasures of classical Islam in the digital era sustainably.