Jombang — Samsul Bahri, a student in the Master’s Program for Quranic Studies (S2 IAT) at the Faculty of Ushuluddin and Islamic Thought, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, presented his research findings at the Muktamar Turats Nabawi (MUTUN) and the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Indonesian Association of Hadith Studies (ASILHA), held at Ma'had Aly Hasyim Asy'ari, Tebuireng, Jombang, East Java. The presentation took place during a parallel session on October 5, 2026, from 13:00 to 15:00.

At this academic forum, Samsul Bahri presented an article titled "The Status of Sunan Ibnu Majah within the Kutub al-Sittah (The Six Canonical Hadith Collections): Authority, Scholarly Critique, and Implications for Hadith Studies in Pesantren (Islamic Boarding Schools)." His research examines the process by which Sunan Ibnu Majah came to be recognized as one of the six canonical hadith collections, exploring the scholarly considerations behind its status and its implications for hadith education within pesantren.

The research indicates that the status of Sunan Ibnu Majah within the Kutub al-Sittah was established through a gradual process of canonization. Its acceptance was not based solely on the quality of the hadith contained therein, but also on the inclusion of zawā’id—additional narrations not found in the five preceding canonical collections. These narrations provide a complementary value to the study of hadith.

On the other hand, Sunan Ibnu Majah contains narrations of varying quality, ranging from sahih (authentic) to ḍa‘īf jiddan (very weak). This diversity serves as a significant point of discussion regarding the authority of the collection and the critical evaluations offered by hadith scholars. Despite criticisms and differences of opinion among scholars, the acceptance of Sunan Ibn Majah as part of the Kutub al-Sittah (the six canonical Hadith collections) has remained steadfast within the tradition of Hadith scholarship.

This finding underscores that a work’s status as "canonical" does not automatically imply that every Hadith contained therein is sahih (authentic). In the study of Hadith, the authority of a collection and the assessment of the quality of individual narrations are two distinct matters that must be differentiated. Consequently, the study of canonical Hadith collections still requires careful attention to the critique of sanad (chains of transmission) and matan (the text of the narration), as well as an understanding of the scholarly reasoning that led to a work’s acceptance.

The research by Samsul Bahri also highlights the relevance of these issues to Hadith education within pesantren (Islamic boarding schools). An understanding of the canonization process and the critical evaluations made by Hadith scholars is essential for fostering a learning tradition that respects the Islamic intellectual heritage while simultaneously cultivating a critical and balanced approach to assessing narrations.

Within the context of pesantren education, this approach encourages students (santri) to grasp that the acceptance of canonical Hadith collections does not preclude the possibility of scholarly evaluation regarding the individual narrations they contain. Furthermore, students are encouraged to remain open to differences of scholarly opinion, provided that such views are grounded in sound, justifiable arguments and academic reasoning.

Samsul Bahri’s participation in the MUTUN forum and the 2026 ASILHA Annual Meeting served as a platform to disseminate research conducted by a master’s student in the Ilmu Al-Qur’an dan Tafsir (IAT) program, while also providing an opportunity for dialogue with an academic community dedicated to the study of Hadith and classical Islamic literature. This presentation further demonstrates the relevance of Hadith research to the development of pedagogical methods within Islamic educational institutions, particularly pesantren.

Through the participation of its students in such scholarly forums, the Master’s Program in Ilmu Al-Qur’an dan Tafsir (IAT) at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta continues to foster an academic tradition that bridges the study of classical Hadith literature, rigorous scholarly critique, and contemporary issues in Islamic education.