Literacy Culture in Salaf Islamic Boarding Schools: A Study of Intensive Readings of Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim at Al-Ittihad Islamic Boarding School, Poncol, Bringin, Semarang Regency

Abstract

The study explores the literacy culture of a traditional Islamic boarding school through the long‑standing practice of intensive readings ([italicized]kilatan[/italicized]) of the canonical hadith collections [italicized]Sahih al-Bukhari[/italicized] and [italicized]Sahih Muslim[/italicized] at Pondok Pesantren Al-Ittihad, Poncol, Central Java. Using qualitative field research with observation, interviews, and documentation, the research examines how this annual kilatan, held every month of Jumadil Akhir, is organized, transmitted, and sustained across generations of [italicized]kyai[/italicized] and [italicized]santri[/italicized]. The findings show that the alternating reading of the two [italicized]shahihayn[/italicized] for more than seven decades not only preserves classical hadith scholarship, but also strengthens sanad continuity, shapes the intellectual and spiritual character of the santri, and reinforces the identity of the pesantren as a salaf institution in the digital era. The tradition functions simultaneously as a means of knowledge transmission, moral formation, and social cohesion, demonstrating the resilience and adaptability of pesantren literacy practices amid contemporary educational and technological changes.