Contemporary Islamic education confronts a persistent epistemological dichotomy between religious and secular knowledge, producing graduates who are intellectually competent yet morally underdeveloped, or ritually observant yet socially disengaged. This study investigates how a mahabbah-based (love-based) curriculum is actualized at the As’adiyah Sengkang Islamic Boarding School (pesantren), Indonesia, aiming to reconstruct an intellectual-ulama profile that integrates revelatory and rational knowledge within a holistic educational paradigm. An intrinsic qualitative case study design was employed. Data were generated through twelve months of participatory observation, purposively sampled in-depth interviews with 18 participants (leaders, curriculum specialists, and students), and systematic document analysis. Thematic analysis followed the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. Trustworthiness was established through source/methodological triangulation, member checking, and prolonged engagement. The findings reveal that five interconnected dimensions of mahabbah—transcendental, humanistic, intellectual, ecological, and civic—function as the ontological and epistemological spine of the curriculum. Each dimension features discernible curricular, pedagogical, and evaluative manifestations that collectively reinforce the intellectual-ulama profile. This mahabbah-based curriculum represents a theoretically grounded and practically viable model for resolving the knowledge dichotomy in Islamic education. It advances a holistic curriculum paradigm wherein love operates as a transformative educational force, offering a replicable framework for pesantren and broader Islamic educational institutions globally.