The practice of local economic development and Maqasid al-Shari'ah: Evidence from a Pesantren in West Java, Indonesia

摘要

PurposeThis paper aims to study the Pesantrens role in alleviating the poverty in rural region, and the discussion is connected to the theory of local economic development and Maq?id al-Sharah.Design/methodology/approachThis paper engages a case study and an interview to get insight into the subject matters.FindingsThis study finds that the roles of an entrepreneur and a stimulator are evident from the sampled Pesantren in empowering the local economy and the underprivileged community. Further, inasmuch as the fundamental concept of local economic development is in line with Maq?id al-Sharah, the evidence from the sampled Pesantren is also representative of its role in actualising it. This study is relevant for academics, local government in Indonesia and other related stakeholders.Practical implicationsThis paper credits both theoretical and practical implications for academics and the government. Firstly, by discussing the concept of prosperity from the Western and Islamic perspective, this paper creates a notion that these theories are harmonisable. Secondly, by sampling a Pesantren to draw how these two concepts are applied to advance a rural economy, this paper comes out with the hands-on advice for Indonesian government to legally engage with the existing Pesantrens to perform its rural development programmes.Social implicationsWhile a Pesantrens role in empowering a disadvantaged community is comprehensively investigated, an accurate evidence is documented which can best challenge its radicalism and terrorism issues.Originality/valueThis is the first study to harmonise the theory of local economic development and Maq?id al-Sharah and presents the practical evidence from a Pesantren.