<![CDATA[Critical thinking is an essential competence for students, including female students (santri putri) in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren), as it enables them to understand, analyze, and evaluate the religious knowledge they study rather than merely receiving it passively. One learning activity believed to foster this competence is kitab musyawarah, a discussion-based method used to study classical Islamic texts (kitab kuning). This study aims to describe the implementation of the Fathul Qarib kitab musyawarah, analyze its role in developing santri putri's critical thinking, and identify the supporting and inhibiting factors involved, at Pondok Pesantren Putri Raudlatul Muttaqin, Talun, Sidogembul, Sukodadi, Lamongan. A qualitative approach with a descriptive design was employed. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation involving the supervising ustadzah, santri putri, and pesantren administrators, then analyzed using data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings indicate that the musyawarah is conducted systematically once a week through structured stages: group division, reading and translating the text, explanation of content, a question-and-answer session, and reinforcement from the ustadzah. This activity plays a significant role in developing santri putri's critical thinking, reflected in their growing ability to identify problems, formulate questions, present arguments, analyze information, and draw conclusions. Supporting factors include students' active participation, an established discussion culture, and guidance from the ustadzah and administrators, while inhibiting factors include inadequate group preparation, low self-confidence among some students, and a sometimes less conducive discussion atmosphere. These findings confirm that kitab musyawarah functions as an effective active-learning strategy for cultivating critical thinking within the pesantren tradition.]]>
