<![CDATA[The increasing vulnerability of the Murut oral tradition in Sabah has intensified due to globalization, modernization, digital transformation, cultural commodification, and the weakening of intergenerational knowledge transmission, resulting in the gradual erosion of indigenous values. As an important form of intangible cultural heritage, the Murut oral tradition preserves collective memory, customary norms, ecological knowledge, moral teachings, and the Aki Kinapuno cosmology that continues to shape communal ethics and social relationships. Existing preservation initiatives remain predominantly documentation-oriented and inadequately address the normative and religious dimensions relevant to indigenous Muslim communities. This study aims to reconstruct the legal protection of the Murut oral tradition by developing a preservation framework integrating indigenous cultural values with Islamic legal principles through the complementary application of ‘urf and maqāṣid al-sharī'ah. The research employed a qualitative socio-legal and ethnographic approach using semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis involving traditional elders, cultural practitioners, religious leaders, and Murut community representatives in Sabah. Data were analyzed through thematic interpretation and normative legal analysis. The findings reveal that the Murut oral tradition functions not merely as cultural expression but as a living normative institution governing communal identity, social cohesion, environmental stewardship, conflict resolution, and the intergenerational transmission of ethical values. The analysis further demonstrates that the Aki Kinapuno cosmology embodies principles of collective welfare, reciprocity, respect for nature, and social responsibility that substantially correspond with the objectives of maqāṣid al-sharī'ah, particularly the protection of religion, intellect, lineage, property, and human dignity. Meanwhile, ‘urf provides a contextual mechanism for recognizing customary practices that remain socially beneficial while enabling critical evaluation of traditions inconsistent with Islamic principles. Based on these findings, the study proposes an integrated preservation framework emphasizing community-based cultural validation, participatory governance, adaptive legal protection, and sustainable knowledge transmission. The study contributes by advancing a culturally grounded model of Islamic legal reasoning and offering an interdisciplinary framework for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage within contemporary indigenous Muslim societies.]]>
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