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<em>Fatwa</em> in the circle of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) remains showing reminiscent of classical period of Islamic jurisprudence. It uses <em>madhhab</em> and <em>taqli</em><em>d</em> with the employment of classical jurisprudence texts. Being identical in certain crucial features, the NU’s version of <em>fatwa</em>, however, is different from classic <em>fatwa</em> in various aspects. <em>Fatwa</em> is collegial, binding and modern. This last aspect remains debatable within the NU. While senior <em>ulama</em><em>‘</em> resist the reintroduction of <em>ijtiha</em><em>d</em> in the process of <em>fatwa</em> issuing as a tradition which should be preserved, certain younger <em>ulama</em><em>‘</em> in the organization urges the employment of <em>ijtiha</em><em>d</em> to keep up with the demand of modern context. Senior <em>ulama</em><em>‘</em> of the NU maintain that <em>taqli</em><em>d</em> and <em>madhhab</em> is the very essence of their commitment to Islamic law, whereas the younger <em>ulama</em><em>‘</em> assert that such attachment will only result in the abandonment of Islamic law altogether by Muslims, especially the NU<em> </em>members. This article shows that dynamic with special reference to what is happening in East Java, the traditional stronghold of the NU.