The Ijāzah as an Infrastructure of Scholarly Authority: The Legitimation of ʿUlamāʾ within the Haramayn–Nusantara Network (18th–19th Centuries)

Abstract

Studies of 18th- and 19th-century ʿulamāʾ networks linking the Haramayn and the Nusantara region have extensively covered intellectual mobility, knowledge transmission, and teacher-student relationships; however, they have not adequately explained the mechanisms that transformed knowledge transmission into the legitimation of ʿulamāʾ authority. This research analyzes the ijāzah as a mechanism of scholarly authorization, clarifies the relationship among the ijāzah, the sanad (chain of transmission), and teacher-student networks, and identifies how ʿulamāʾ legitimacy was reproduced from the Haramayn to Nusantara. The study employs an intellectual history approach combined with scholarly network analysis, drawing on a literature review of ijāzah documents, sanad manuscripts, biographical dictionaries (tarājim), and the works of ʿulamāʾ from both the Haramayn and Nusantara during the 18th and 19th centuries. External and internal criticism assess the context, authenticity, and credibility of sources, while content analysis maps authorization formulas, teacher-student relationships, sanad patterns, and forms of scholarly recognition; historical-contextual analysis traces the ijāzah’s evolving functions across periods and regions. The findings indicate that the ijāzah operates through four interconnected mechanisms: validating competence, linking sanad, social recognition, and transmitting authority to student networks. Patterns of teacher-student relationships show that the Haramayn served as a hub of transregional legitimacy. At the same time, ijāzah recipients in Nusantara converted scholarly authorization into local authority through teaching, building student networks, and maintaining the sanad. The ijāzah adapted to shifting socio-political configurations and the development of scholarly institutions without losing its role as a medium of legitimation. These findings position the ijāzah as a socio-scholarly infrastructure that explains the mechanisms behind the formation and reproduction of ʿulamāʾ authority within transregional Islamic networks.