Digital Isnād System and Religious Legitimacy: Examining The Qualification and Authorization Process of Islamic Authority on Cariustadz.ID Platform

Alwi Bani Rakhman, Lukman Zain, Anisatun Muthi'ah

Abstract


This study examines how digital platforms reconfigure the classical Islamic isnād system, contributing to discourse on religious authority transformation in the digital age. The isnād—traditionally a linear teacher-student chain establishing scholarly credibility—faces challenges in contemporary contexts where physical proximity no longer governs religious instruction. Employing qualitative case study methodology, this research analyzes CariUstadz.id through interviews, document analysis, and platform observation. The findings reveal systematic isnād reconceptualization through two mechanisms. First, the platform's Expert Council (Majelis Dewan Pakar) conducts centralized vetting, functioning as a digital fatwa verification board performing rigorous credential assessment before endorsement. Second, transparent public display of validated credentials makes scholarly legitimacy immediately accessible. This dual mechanism preserves classical principles—transmission continuity (al-tasalsul) and scholarly credibility (maqbūliyyah)—while adapting them digitally: linear chains are replaced by centralized, technology-facilitated authentication maintaining epistemic rigor without physical co-presence. This reconfiguration significantly impacts contemporary Islamic practice. By institutionalizing verification previously embedded in personal relationships, the platform democratizes access to authenticated guidance while maintaining standards. Digital platforms thus serve as mediating institutions bridging classical knowledge transmission and technological realities, ensuring both accessibility and authenticity in an increasingly digitized religious landscape.


Keywords


New Isnad System; Islamic Religious Authority; CariUstadz.id Platform; Digital Religious Platform; Scholarly Credibility

Full Text:

PDF

References


‘Itr, N. a.-D. (1988). Manhaj An-Naqd Fi ‘Ulum Al-Hadis. Damaskus: Dar al-Fikr.

Ahmad Shofi Badi’ati, et al. (2021). Pesantren and Islamic Transmission (Sanad) of Science. Proceeding International Conference on Islam and Education (ICONIE), (hal. 1–10).

Akmaluddin, M. (2021). Pembuktian Empiris Dan Validasi Alternatif Dalam Kajian Hadis Kontemporer (Empirical Verification and Alternative Validation in Contemporary Hadith Studies). Mutawatir: Jurnal Keilmuan Tafsir Hadith, 11(2), 231–252.

Alamsyah et al. (2021). The Network of Environment Hadith Narrators in Sahih Al-Bukhari: A Social Network Analysis. Mutawatir: Jurnal Keilmuan Tafsir Hadith, 11(02), 307–314.

Alatas, I. F. (2021). What Is Religious Authority?: Cultivating Islamic Communities in Indonesia.

Alatas, S. F. (2021). Applying Islamic Epistemology to The Crisis of Religious Authority. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, 11(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.112.01.

Al-Khatib, M. ‘. (2006). Usul Al-Hadis ‘Ulumuhu Wa Mustalahuhu. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr.

Al-Qattan, M. K. (1992). Mabahis Fi ‘Ulum Al-Hadis. Kairo: Maktabah Wahbiyah.

Al-Qur’an, P. S. (2023, August 32). Profil. Diambil kembali dari Pusat Studi Al-Qur'an: https://psq.or.id/tentang-kami/

Anderson, J. W. (2020). Cyber Islam: The Search for Religious Authority in the Digital Age. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 52(3), 507–511. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743820000737.

At-Tahhan, M. (1993). Taysir Mustalah Al-Hadis. Iskandariyah: Markaz al-Hady li ad-Dirasat.

Baihaki, E. S. (2020). Islam dalam Merespons Era Digital: Tantangan Menjaga Komunikasi Umat Beragama di Indonesia (Islam in the Digital Age: Addressing the Challenges of Interreligious Communication in Indonesia). SANGKéP: Jurnal Kajian Sosial Keagamaan, 3(2), 185–208. https://doi.org/10.20414/sangkep.v3i2.1926.

Berger, P. L. (1967). The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion. New York: Anchor Books.

Bouziane Zaid, et al. (2022). Digital Islam and Muslim Millennials: How Social Media Influencers Reimagine Religious Authority and Islamic Practices. Religions, 13(4), 335.

Bowen, J. R. (2012). A New Anthropology of Islam. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Brown, J. (2021, June 24). Authenticating Hadith and the History of Hadith Criticism. Diambil kembali dari Yaqeen Institute: https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/paper/authenticating-hadith-and-the-history-of-hadith-criticism

Bunt, G. R. (2018). Hashtag Islam: How Cyber-Islamic Environments are Transforming Religious Authority. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Campbell, H. A. (2012). Understanding the Relationship Between Religion Online and Offline in a Networked Society. Dalam H. A. (Ed.), Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in New Media (hal. pp. 81–98). New York: Routledge.

Carter, A. (1985). Otoritas dan Demokrasi (Authority and Democracy), terj. Sahat Simamora . Jakarta: Rajawali.

Damanhuri. (2019). Kitab Kiai Madura: Kuasa Teks Dan Otoritas Keagamaan (The Madura Kiai's Books: The Power of Text and Religious Authority). Islam Indonesia.

Dodik Harnadi, et al. (2021). Pesantren and the Preservation of Traditional Religious Authority in the Digital Age. Jurnal Masyarakat, Kebudayaan Dan Politik, 34(3).

Dozan, W. (2021). Potret Historis Hadis Pasca Khulafaur Rasyidin Sampai Pembukuan (A Historical Overview of Hadith from the Post-Rashidun Caliphate to the Period of Codification). Al FAWATIH: Jurnal Kajian Al Quran Dan Hadis, 2(1), 53–65.

Eickelman, D. F. (2003). New Media in the Muslim World: The Emerging Public Sphere. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

El-Fadl, K. M. (2004). Atas Nama Tuhan: Dari Fiqih Otoriter ke Fikih Otoritatif (Speaking in God’s Name: Islamic Law, Authority and Women), terj. R. Cecep Lukman Yasin. Jakarta: Serambi Ilmu Semesta.

El-Nawawy, M. &. (2009). Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Haryadi, D. (2020). Otoritas Keagamaan Baru: Habituasi Dan Arena Dakwah Era Digital (New Religious Authority: Habituation and the Arena of Da‘wah in the Digital Era). Islamic Insights Journal, 2(2), 69–82.

Hasanah, U. (2015). Pesantren Dan Transmisi Keilmuan Islam Melayu-Nusantara; Literasi, Teks, Kitab Dan Sanad Keilmuan (Pesantren and the Transmission of Islamic Knowledge in the Malay–Indonesian Archipelago: Literacy, Text, Manuscript, and Scholarly Lineage). ’Anil Islam: Jurnal Kebudayaan Dan Ilmu Keislaman, 8(2), 203–204.

Hoesterey, J. B. (2016). Rebranding Islam: Piety, Prosperity, and a Self-Help Guru. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Ichwan, M. N. (2024). Digitization of Religious Tafsir: The Fading of Indonesian Ulama Authority in Post Truth Era. Jurnal Studi Ilmu-Ilmu Al-Qur’an Dan Hadis, 25(2), 320–345. https://doi.org/10.14421/qh.v25i2.5545.

Ismail, S. (1995). Kaedah Kesahihan Sanad Hadis Telaah Kritis Dan Tinjauan Dengan Pendekatan Ilmu Sejarah (The Principles of Hadith Sanad Authenticity: A Critical Study through the Historical Approach). Bandung: Bulan Bintang.

Mahfudloh, R. I. (2023). Peran Sanad Keilmuan Dalam Pengembangan Pondok Pesantren (Scholarly Transmission and Its Role in Strengthening the Intellectual Tradition of Pesantren). Qomaruna: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 1(1), 23-30. .

Maihula, J. S. (2022). In-depth Analysis on the Methodology of Sanad and Matan Criticisms: The Perspective of Hadith Scholars. IAR Journal of Humanities and Scial Science, 3(1), 55-60.

Muhtador, M. (2018). Studi Kritis Atas Transmisi Dan Otoritas Keagamaan Di Media Sosial (A Critical Study of Religious Transmission and Authority on Social Media). Fikrah, 692), 323–340.

Muliana, S. (2024). The Scientific Sanad Tradition of Islamic Boarding Schools as a Basis for Strengthening Moderate Religion in the Post-Truth Era. International Journal of Islamic Boarding School, 2(1), 1-12.

Muthiah, A. (2020). Konsep Ittishal Al-Sanad Sebagai Syarat Kajian Kitab Kuning Dalam Tradisi Pesantren An-Nahdliyyah Cirebon (The Concept of Ittishāl al-Sanad as a Prerequisite for the Study of Kitab Kuning in the An-Nahdliyyah Pesantren Tradition of Cirebon). Jurnal Studi Hadis Nusantara, 2(1), 13–14.

Ni'am, M. F. (2023). Menakar Kembali Otoritas Ulama: Antara Kesalehan dan Komodifikasi Agama (Rethinking Ulama Authority: Between Piety and the Commodification of Religion). Jurnal Kajian Islam Interdisipliner, 8(2), 135-160, https://doi.org/10.14421/jkii.v8i2.1349.

Nurdin, A. (2023, August 31). Profil. Diambil kembali dari CariUstadz.id: https://cariustadz.id/tentang-kami

Pratama, B. I. (2021). Metode Analisis Isi (Metode Penelitian Populer Ilmu-Ilmu Sosial) (Content Analysis Method: A Popular Research Method in the Social Sciences). Malang: UNISMA Press.

Purwanto, T. (2020). Digital Engagement of Indonesian Millennials in the Prism of the Scripture, Social Media, and Religious Practices. Proceedings of the 19th Annual International Conference on Islamic Studies. Jakarta: EAI, http://dx.doi.org/10.4108/eai.1-10-2019.2291735.

Qudsy, S. Z. (2010). Pesantren Online: Pergeseran Otoritas Keagamaan Di Dunia Maya (Virtual Pesantren: Transformations of Religious Authority in the Digital Age). Living Islam: Journal of Islamic Discourses, 2(2),169–187.

Rachmadhani, A. (2021). Otoritas Keagamaan Di Era Media Baru: Dakwah Gusmus Di Media Sosial (Religious Authority in the Age of New Media: Gusmus’ Da‘wah on Social Media). Panangkaran: Jurnal Penelitian Agama Dan Masyarakat, 5(2), 150–69.

Rahmawati, K. (2022, August 16). Kontribusi PSQ Dan BPMI Dalam Pengembagan Khazanah Ulumul Qur’an serta Pengembangan Kader Mufassir Di Indonesia (Contributions of PSQ and BPMI in Enhancing Qur’anic Scholarship and Training Cadre of Mufassirs in Indonesia). Diambil kembali dari Fakultas Ushuluddin dan Dakwah UIN Gus Dur: https://iat-fuad.uingusdur.ac.id/info/artikel/453-kontribusi-psq-dan-bpmi-dalam-pengembagan-khazanah-ulumul-qur-an-serta-pengembangan-kader-mufassir-di-indonesia?utm

Rakhman, A. B. (2019). Darurat Tatbiq Nizam al-Isnad al-Hadis. Prosiding of 1st International Conference on Ushuluddin and Humanities Studies (ICONHUMANS) (hal. 45). Semarang: UIN Walisongso Semarang.

Rakhman, A. B. (2023, October 16). (Q. A'yun, Pewawancara)

Solahudin, D. &. (2020). Internet and Islamic Learning Practices in Indonesia: Social Media, Religious Populism, and Religious Authority. . Religions, 11(1), p. 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11010019.

Sugiono. (2013). Penelitian Kuantitatif-Kualitatif Dan R&D (Quantitative, Qualitative, and R&D Research).. Bandung: Alfabeta.

Wasman, Mesraini, Suwendi. (2023). A Critical Approach to Prophetic Traditions: Contextual Criticism in Understanding Hadith. Al-Jami'ah, Vol 61, No 1, pp. 1-2.

Whyte, S. A. (2022). Islamic Religious Authority in Cyberspace: A Qualitative Study of Muslim Religious Actors in Australia. Religions, 13(1), 69 (p. 3).

Wijaya, H. (2019). Analisis Data Kualitatif: Sebuah Tinjauan Teori & Praktik (Qualitative Data Analysis: An Overview of Theory and Practice). Jakarta: Sekolah Tinggi Theologia Jaffray.

Yunitasari, R. (2020). Masa Kodifikasi Hadis: Meneropong Perkembangan Ilmu Hadis Pada Masa Pra-Kodifikasi Hingga Pasca Kodifikasi (The Era of Hadith Codification: Tracing the Evolution of Hadith Studies from Pre-Codification to Post-Codification). Jurnal Ilmiah Ar-Risalah: Media Ke-Islaman, Pendidikan Dan Hukum Islam, 18(1), 101–113.

Zain, L. (2023, Oktober 23). Pemeliharaan Kualitas Ustadz dan Ustadzah CariUstadz.id. (Quality Assurance for Ustadz and Ustadzah on CariUstadz.id). (Q. A'yun, Pewawancara)

Zaman, M. Q. (2002). The Ulama in Contemporary Islam: Custodians of Change. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Zaman, M. Q. (2009). The Ulama and Contestations on Religious Authority. Islam and Modernity: Key Issues and Debates, 206–236.

Zamhari, A. (2021). Traditional Religious Authorities in New Media: Cariustadz. Id Platform as An Alternative Cyber Fatwa and Da’wah Media among the Middle-Class Urban Muslims. AHKAM: Jurnal Ilmu Syariah, 21(1), 78–79.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.15548/mashdar.v7i1.11108

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.