Santri, the Foundations of Islamic Scholarship, and the Future of Pesantren
In a pesantren, a single misread word in a classical Islamic text can bring a lesson to an immediate halt. The kiai asks the student to read the passage again, identify the grammatical function of the word, and explain the reasoning behind its interpretation. Compared with technologies that can add vowel markings to Arabic texts and translate them within seconds, this process may appear laborious. Yet as machines become increasingly proficient at assisting with the reading of classical Islamic texts, a fundamental question arises: Does technological convenience deepen students’ understanding, or does it merely make knowledge appear more accessible than it truly is?
This question is particularly pertinent as Indonesia commemorates National Santri Day on 22 October 2026, under the theme “Santri Strengthening the Nation Towards Golden Indonesia.” The occasion honours the contribution of pesantren to Indonesia’s struggle for independence, notably through the Jihad Resolution of 22 October 1945. However, commemorating this legacy should also prompt a critical examination of the intellectual formation of the next generation. Religious answers are now readily available, yet the process of examining the reasoning underlying those answers is increasingly at risk of being overlooked. For pesantren, the challenge is to harness technological advances without compromising the depth and rigour of Islamic scholarship.
The Convenience of Technology and the Limits of Translation
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers considerable opportunities for educational development, including within pesantren. Students can use AI tools to explore vocabulary, compare translations, and identify relevant literature that might otherwise be difficult to access. Recent developments have also made it possible to integrate popular AI applications, such as ChatGPT and Claude, with collections of Maktabah Syamilah, a digital library widely used by students across traditional, integrated, and modern pesantren.
Nevertheless, a view circulating on social media suggests that proficiency in reading classical Islamic texts is becoming less necessary because machines can perform the tasks of reading and translation. Although this argument may appear plausible, it rests on a fundamental misconception: access to an explanation is not equivalent to mastery of the knowledge being explained.
Understanding a religious proof (dalil) involves considerably more than translating its words. A command in a religious text does not necessarily establish a legal obligation. For example, the Qur’anic expression fa-idha halaltum faṣṭādu (“When you have come out of ihram, then hunt”) in Qur’an 5:2 is understood by Islamic jurists as permitting hunting rather than making it obligatory, given its context following the prohibition of hunting while in a state of ihram. Establishing this interpretation requires attention to the linguistic context, relevant interpretive indicators, and the relationship between the verse and other sources of Islamic law.
Differences of opinion among Islamic scholars frequently arise from precisely these methodological considerations. This is why students in pesantren study naḥw (Arabic syntax), ṣarf (Arabic morphology), and uṣūl al-fiqh (the principles of Islamic jurisprudence) through a systematic and gradual process. These disciplines develop the analytical capacities required to understand the reasoning underlying legal opinions, assess the strength of their supporting arguments, and determine when particular positions should be upheld or subjected to further scrutiny.
The challenge becomes more acute when AI-generated explanations are accepted uncritically because they appear coherent and authoritative. AI systems can generate accurate responses, but they can also produce erroneous conclusions or citations that do not correspond to the original sources. Without a sufficiently strong grounding in Islamic scholarship, students may lack the necessary skills to distinguish reliable explanations from misleading ones.
Accordingly, the ability to read and interpret classical Islamic texts must remain central to pesantren education. Such competence enables students to engage critically with AI rather than depend on it indiscriminately. The sequence of learning is particularly important: students should first read the text, develop their own interpretation, and formulate a reasoned conclusion before using AI to verify their understanding. Technological innovation should strengthen students’ intellectual independence, not provide a justification for abandoning the foundations of scholarship.
The Study of Classical Texts as an Intellectual Discipline
One of the most valuable features of the pesantren tradition is its model of knowledge transmission, which is grounded in the relationship between the kiai, the santri, and the classical text. Through sorogan, for example, a kiai or ustaz can directly assess a student’s ability to read and comprehend a text. Meanwhile, musyawarah (deliberative discussion) and bahtsul masail (collective deliberation on Islamic legal questions) provide structured opportunities to test arguments, examine evidence, and evaluate competing interpretations.
Through these practices, students learn not merely to recognise differences of opinion but also to understand why one interpretation may be considered more persuasive than another.
These intellectual practices are increasingly important in an environment in which religious knowledge circulates widely through digital media. People can readily access sermons, excerpts from fatwas, and answers to questions of Islamic jurisprudence without understanding the scholarly contexts from which they emerge. Complex debates among Islamic jurists are frequently reduced to simplified legal pronouncements that appear universally applicable, irrespective of the circumstances in which they are invoked.
Students trained to examine diverse scholarly positions are better equipped to respond to this tendency. They recognise that disagreement does not necessarily signify error and that adherence to a particular position does not eliminate the need to justify it through sound reasoning and appropriate evidence.
At the same time, pesantren must critically assess their own educational practices. Not all learning environments provide sufficient opportunities for students to ask questions, develop arguments, and exercise independent judgement. In some cases, proficiency in classical texts is assessed primarily through reading fluency and memorisation. These are precisely the areas in which machines can most readily compete with human learners.
Yet the intellectual heritage of pesantren extends far beyond the ability to read aloud or reproduce memorised material. Respect for teachers is an essential component of scholarly etiquette, but it should also encourage students to engage seriously with the knowledge being transmitted. A scholarly tradition remains intellectually vibrant not simply by preserving established practices, but by enabling each generation to sustain and develop their underlying intellectual substance. Earlier scholars advanced Islamic thought through sustained reading, rigorous reasoning, and substantive debate. Contemporary students should likewise be equipped with the intellectual discipline necessary to engage meaningfully with this heritage.
The Directorate General of Pesantren and the Imperative of Educational Quality
The establishment of the Directorate General of Pesantren under Presidential Regulation No. 18 of 2026, followed by Minister of Religious Affairs Regulation No. 16 of 2026, represents an institutional strengthening of pesantren within Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs. Responsibility for pesantren has been placed under a dedicated directorate general, having previously fallen within the remit of the Directorate General of Islamic Education.
This institutional development deserves recognition. Its long-term significance, however, will depend on whether the new administrative structure translates into substantive improvements in teaching and learning across pesantren.
According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Indonesia has approximately 42,000 pesantren, whose educational needs and institutional capacities vary considerably. Institutions with limited collections of classical texts require better library resources, while ustaz need opportunities to deepen their subject knowledge and strengthen their pedagogical skills. The new directorate general should therefore adopt a differentiated approach that responds to these varying needs, rather than measuring institutional performance primarily by the number of grants distributed or programmes implemented.
The planned collaboration between the Directorate General of Pesantren and ICT Watch to provide free online AI training for pesantren educators on 4–5 November 2026 represents a relevant initiative. According to the programme announcement, the training is intended to help educators develop teaching materials and use AI responsibly.
Its educational value could be further enhanced by incorporating practical exercises in source verification, textual analysis, and the critical evaluation of AI-generated interpretations. Participants, for example, could be trained to check AI-generated explanations against the relevant passages in classical texts, verify quotations against their original sources, and identify differences in scholarly interpretation. The bahtsul masail tradition offers a valuable pedagogical model: a team examines proposed answers and their supporting references before submitting them to a musahhih, the scholar responsible for reviewing and validating the final conclusions.
The quality of Islamic scholarship in pesantren has implications far beyond the institutions themselves. When members of the public encounter inheritance disputes, questions concerning debts and financial obligations, or family problems, they often turn to kiai for guidance that takes their specific circumstances into account. An answer that appears correct in the abstract may produce different consequences when applied to a particular case.
Public trust in pesantren must therefore be sustained not only by religious authority and institutional reputation, but also by the ability to interpret authoritative sources accurately, evaluate competing arguments, and consider the practical consequences of religious guidance.
National Santri Day provides an opportunity to reaffirm the intellectual commitment that has long underpinned the pesantren tradition. AI and other technological innovations should certainly be embraced, and the state has a responsibility to ensure that pesantren can benefit from these developments equitably. Nevertheless, the ability to read classical texts, scrutinise the reasoning behind an argument, and assume responsibility for a scholarly judgement must continue to be cultivated through sustained and rigorous education.
If anyone can ask a machine to explain a classical Islamic text in seconds, does that not make it even more important for pesantren to cultivate santri who possess the intellectual discernment to recognise when an answer should not yet be trusted?
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Opinion Desk.
