Contemporary fatāwā of nahdlatul ulama: Between observing the madhhab and adapting the context

Fātwa in the circle of nahdlatul ulama (nu) remains showing reminiscent of classical period of islamic jurisprudence. it uses madhhab and taqlid with the employment of classical jurisprudence texts. being identical in certain crucial features,the nu’s version of fātwa,however,is different from classic fātwa in various aspects. fatwa is collegial,binding and modern. this last aspect remains debatable within the nu. while senior ulamā‘ resist the reintroduction of ijtihād in the process of fatwā issuing as a tradition which should be preserved,certain younger ulamā‘ in the organization urges the employment of ijtihād to keep up with the demand of modern context. senior ulamā‘ of the nu maintain that taqlid and madhhab is the very essence of their commitment to islamic law,whereas the younger ulamā‘ assert that such attachment will only result in the abandonment of islamic law altogether by muslims,especially the nu members. this article shows that dynamic with special reference to what is happening in east java,the traditional stronghold of the nu. © 2011,state islamic university of sunan ampel. all rights reserved.