Transforming Religious Authority: Fatwas in the Social Media Era
Abstract
This study examines the contestation of religious authority in Indonesia in the social media era by analyzing how digital platforms reshape the production, circulation, and validation of Islamic legal opinions. Despite the growing influence of online preachers and digital fatwas, limited research has examined how social media transforms the mechanisms of religious authority and the formation of Islamic law in the Indonesian context. Using a qualitative case study design and netnographic methods, this research analyzes digital fatwa content, the performance of religious authority by online preachers, and audience interactions on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. The findings reveal a shift from institution-based authority, grounded in scholarly credentials and collective deliberation, toward digital authority that derives legitimacy from symbolic capital, emotional appeal, and algorithmic visibility. This transformation contributes to epistemic fragmentation, as simplified and viral legal opinions frequently overshadow methodologically grounded fatwas issued by formal religious institutions. The study concludes that strengthening digital religious literacy, improving institutional communication, and applying a maqāṣid-based evaluative framework are essential to ensure that Islamic legal guidance in digital spaces remains credible, ethical, and socially beneficial.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21043/yudisia.v17i1.34568
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