Rethinking Islamic Da'wah Model in the Context of Digital Space

Abstract

The presence of the digital era has changed the orientation of da'wah. Da'wah has changed from merely a doctrinal activity (to Islamizing infidels) to an activity of exchanging religious narratives between people in cyberspace. This fact requires rethinking the concept of the da'wah model.  By reviewing primary da'wah scientific literature, such as the works of Abdul Karim Zaedan and Al-Bayanuni, researchers explore how the traditional Islamic da'wah model has been built so far, and then observe online da'wah sites in Indonesia to build a new model of da'wah. This study finds that the old elements of Islamic da'wah have changed in the digital context. The relationship between the elements of da'wah in the digital space is strongly controlled by the media platform used. The relationship between the preacher and the recipient of the da'wah is no longer linear or one-way but multi-directional. The preacher no longer holds full authority in the message he conveys because the critical and active recipient can freely interpret the message according to his wishes and background. In addition, the relationship between the preacher and the recipient is determined by various buttons on a platform. The choice of buttons: like, dislike, comment, subscribe, and di-subscribe, has eliminated the domination of the preacher over the recipient. This finding reflects a new model of Islamic da'wah, namely da'wah that encourages the exchange of religious discourse between people, opens space for various alternative religious progressive thoughts, fosters religious maturity, closes the dominance of the truth of one particular group, and creates an open and democratic religious space.