Bridging Science and Sharia: UIN Jakarta’s Comparative Schools of Law Program Integrates Modern Astronomy into Islamic Jurisprudence

JAKARTA, UIN Online News – Legal schools of thought (mazhab) operate as structural benchmarks for Islamic jurisprudence, guiding the daily lives of millions. However, public debates regarding differences in legal interpretation often polarize communities, attracting critical yet illogical arguments. Responding to this global phenomenon, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta has engineered an academic sanctuary to foster an analytical generation of legal scholars through the Comparative Schools of Law (PMH) Study Program at the Faculty of Sharia and Law (FSH).

The PMH curriculum extends far beyond the history of classic Islamic legal thoughts. It offers an expansive interdisciplinary framework enveloping Islamic theology, advanced jurisprudence (fiqh), global fatwa studies, modern criminal law, civil law, and celestial mechanics (ilmu falak).

Students are trained to meticulously analyze competing legal systems, dissecting consensus from the majority of Islamic jurists (jumhur ulama) to identify which school aligns with specific legal parameters. Put simply, the program does not merely contrast the standard four major Sunni schools—Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali—but explores rare historical legal systems and broad modern comparative statutes. PMH undergraduates are strictly trained to address why jurists differ in opinion, rather than merely memorizing what the legal text states.

Graduates of the PMH track hold strong professional career prospects, qualifying for competitive positions as legal counsels within fatwa institutions, religious organizations, corporate legal consultancies, state marriage registrars, Islamic court judges, and strategic public affairs officers.

Speaking with the UIN Online media team, a fourth-semester PMH student, Ittaqi Tafuzi, revealed that one of the most fascinating components of the program is its cross-disciplinary integration with Islamic Astronomy (ilmu falak). This branch of science shares an structural connection with comparative law, serving as the mathematical tool used to calculate the commencement of Ramadan and Shawwal, map exact Qibla directions, structure the Hijri calendar, and determine precise global prayer times. Comparative Jurisprudence relies heavily on this field, as Islamic legal dictates require celestial data regarding the positions of the sun, moon, and stars to validate legal timing and terrestrial positioning.

In the academic traditions of Islam, this field harmonizes advanced astronomy, mathematics, geography, and cartography. “We calculate exactly how time variances and coordinate discrepancies occur across different cities, while tracking the shifting altitude of the sun relative to the horizon,” Tafuzi explained.

To map out these temporal coordinates, students utilize the Local Time Correction formula, an algorithmic tool engineered to measure the precise time variance of a specific geographic coordinate relative to the central meridian line of its standard time zone. “This formula is vital to isolate exact localized time zones. For instance, Indonesia operates under three distinct zones: Western, Central, and Eastern Indonesian Time. The correction formula bridges the data gaps between these geographical sectors,” she clarified.

The calculations incorporate the concept of Solar Latitude, or what is classified in modern astrophysics as Solar Declination—the angular distance of the sun's position north or south of the celestial equator.

Furthermore, the program utilizes the Greenwich Meridian System, the internationally recognized prime meridian serving as longitude zero. This global astronomical standard acts as the definitive benchmark to calculate longitudinal positioning, evaluate international time zones, and convert astronomical data for global navigation.

Because the PMH study program prioritizes the practical implementation of Sharia, the final stage of calculating localized time maps incorporates an Islamic legal concept known as Ihtiyath (the principle of mathematical precaution). Once the raw astronomical calculations are settled, a safety buffer of a few minutes is systematically added or subtracted.

This precautionary buffer ensures that religious observances are completely insulated from mathematical margin-of-error anomalies. “It is a definitive stance of academic and religious caution. Within our astronomical calculations, this principle is deployed to safeguard time parameters across expanded geographical zones,” Tafuzi concluded.