Negotiation of Salafi Da’wah Discourse in Digital Space
An Islamic Communication Study of Rumaysho.com
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21154/dialogia.v24i01.12196Abstract
Digital transformation in religious communication has triggered significant changes in Islamic da’wah strategies and narratives, including among ideologically recognized groups such as Salafi. This study aims to examine how Salafi da’wah discourse is negotiated, adapted, and represented in digital spaces through Rumaysho.com, a popular da’wah platform managed by Ustaz Muhammad Abduh Tuasikal. Using a qualitative approach and Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) method, this research analyzes 30 articles on creed (aqidah), worship (ibadah), and contemporary issues published between 2024 and mid 2025. The analysis follows Fairclough’s three dimensions, namely textual analysis, discourse practice, and social practice, to reveal how ideological messages are recontextualized to align with the participatory and plural characteristics of digital public spaces. The findings show that Rumaysho.com represents a shift in Salafi da’wah discourse, where textual orthodoxy is strategically adapted through communicative, aesthetic, and symbolic approaches, thereby maintaining ideological authority while reaching a broader public sphere. This study contributes a framework for understanding how theologically rigid groups strategically adapt their communicative repertoire in digital environments without doctrinal compromise.
Downloads
References
Article Journal
Abdel-Fadil, Mona. “The Politics of Affect: The Glue of Religious and Identity Conflicts in Social Media.” Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture 8, no. 1 (2019): 11–34. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1163/21659214-00801002.
Adeni, and Silviatul Hasanah. “Considering the Moderate Da ’ Wah Path of the Purist Salafism: Rodja TV Community Case.” International Conference On Religion, Spirituality And Humanity Vol. 6, no. 2 (2019): 163–80. https://pps.iainsalatiga.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Considering-the-Moderate-Dawah-Path-of-the-Purist-Salafism-Rodja-TV-Community-Case.pdf.
Admin. “About Me Ustaz M Abduh Tausikal.” Rumaysho.com, 2025. https://rumaysho.com/about-me.
Bakti, Andi Faisal. “Media and Religion: Rodja Tv’s Involvement in the Civil Society Discourse for Community Development.” Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication 34, no. 3 (2018): 226–44. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2018-3403-13.
Becker, Carmen. “The Production of Salafi Spaces in Computer-Mediated Environments: A Social Theory Perspective on ‘Digital Religion.’” Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture 10, no. 1 (2021): 30–49. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1163/21659214-bja10033.
Bhojani, Ali-Reza, and Morgan Clarke. “Religious Authority beyond Domination and Discipline: Epistemic Authority and Its Vernacular Uses in the Shi‘i Diaspora.” Comparative Studies in Society and History 65, no. 2 (2023): 272–95. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1017/S0010417522000470.
Bizawie, Zainul Milal. “Sanad and Ulama Network of the Quranic Studies in Nusantara.” Heritage of Nusantara: International Journal of Religious Literature and Heritage, 4, no. 1 (2015): 1–15. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.31291/hn.v4i1.60.
Bowen, Shannon A. “Clarifying Ethics Terms in Public Relations from A to V, Authenticity to Virtue: BledCom Special Issue of PR Review Sleeping (with the) Media: Media Relations.” Public Relations Review 42, no. 4 (2016): 564–72. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2016.03.012.
Bucar, Liz. Stealing My Religion: Not Just Any Cultural Appropriation. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2022.
Cheong, Pauline Hope. “The Vitality of New Media and Religion: Communicative Perspectives, Practices, and Changing Authority in Spiritual Organization.” New Media & Society 19, no. 1 (May 31, 2016): 25–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816649913.
Cochrane, L, and M Adams. “The Construction of Authority and Authenticity in Islamic Discourse(s): Contrasting and Historicizing Contemporary Narratives from English Sunni Narratives.” Contemporary Islam 12, no. 3 (2018): 287–303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-018-0422-1.
Constantin, Natasha, Ardina Lukita Wiraputra, Geraldo Rotty, and Desideria Lumongga Dwihadiah. “Relgious Transformation in Digital Era: Mediatization Impact on Religious Practice.” Eduvest - Journal of Universal Studies 4, no. 10 SE-Articles (October 20, 2024): 8977–89. https://doi.org/10.59188/eduvest.v4i10.1313.
Dahlan, Zaini, Muaz Tanjung, Hasan Asari, and Budi Santoso Wibowo. “CELEBRITY ULAMA’: Opportunities for the Commodification of Religion and the Values of Islamic Education Das’ad Latif.” Cogent Arts & Humanities 12, no. 1 (December 31, 2025): 2492427. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2492427.
Dwi Putra, Imam Muhajir, Moh. Salman Hamdani, Roma Wijaya, and Moh Hisyam MS. “Delegitimasi Tradisi Melalui Bingkai Penafsiran Al-Qur’an: Analisis Model Dakwah Konservatif Channel YouTube RodjaTV.” Contemporary Quran 3, no. 2 (2023): 161–76. https://doi.org/10.14421/cq.v3i2.5672.
Dzukroni, Arisy, and Muhammad Aziz. “Quo Vadis Modern Salafism: Re-Questioning Salafi’s Moderation Value on Social Media.” Islamika Inside: Jurnal Keislaman Dan Humaniora 9, no. 2 SE-Articles (November 27, 2023). https://doi.org/10.35719/islamikainside.v9i2.241.
Effendy, Ellyta, Abdullah Abdullah, and Rubino Rubino. “Empowering Muslim Women through Digital Da’wah: A Case Study of Hijabers Community Medan.” MUHARRIK: Jurnal Dakwah Dan Sosial 7, no. 2 SE-Articles (December 31, 2024): 373–93. https://doi.org/10.37680/muharrik.v7i2.6982.
Eickelman, Dale F. “Who Gets the Past? The Changing Face of Islamic Authority and Religious Knowledge.” In BT - Geographies of Knowledge and Power, edited by Peter Meusburger, Derek Gregory, and Laura Suarsana, 135–45. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9960-7_6.
Enung Asmaya, and Amirotun Sholihah. “The Effectiveness of Comprehension of Da’wah Texts in the Frame of Hans-Georg Gadamer.” Proceeding of Dakwah Saizu International Conference 1, no. 1 SE-Articles (October 9, 2023): 145–55. https://proceedings.uinsaizu.ac.id/index.php/dasinco/article/view/683.
Evolvi, Giulia. “Religion, New Media, and Digital Culture.” Oxford University Press, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.917.
———. “Religion and the Internet: Digital Religion, (Hyper)Mediated Spaces, and Materiality.” Zeitschrift Für Religion, Gesellschaft Und Politik 6, no. 1 (2022): 9–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41682-021-00087-9.
Evolvi, Giulia, and Maria Chiara Giorda. “Introduction: Islam, Space, and the Internet.” Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture 10, no. 1 (2021): 1–12. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1163/21659214-bja10047.
Fairclough, Norman. “Critical Discourse Analysis and Critical Policy Studies.” Critical Policy Studies 7, no. 2 (July 1, 2013): 177–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/19460171.2013.798239.
Fairclough, Norman, and Isabela Fairclough. “A Procedural Approach to Ethical Critique in CDA.” Critical Discourse Studies 15, no. 2 (March 15, 2018): 169–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405904.2018.1427121.
Firdaus, Muhammad Riyyan, and Mohamad Dindin Hamam Sidik. “Constructing Religious Legitimacy in the Digital Public Sphere: A Study of Islamic Discourse on Social Media.” Khazanah Theologia 6, no. 2 (2024): 85–110. https://doi.org/10.15575/kt.v6i2.33173.
Halafoff, Anna. “A Personal and Scholarly Reflection on Sociology of Religion, Peacebuilding and Spaciousness.” Journal for the Academic Study of Religion 32, no. 2-3 SE-Articles (2020): 234–47. https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.40154.
Hamdi, Saipul. “De-Kulturalisasi Islam Dan Konflik Sosial Dalam Dakwah Wahabi Di Indonesia.” Jurnal Kawistara 9, no. 2 (2019): 164. https://doi.org/10.22146/kawistara.40397.
———. “Wahhabism and the Shariah State in Indonesia.” SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3767226.
Handayani, Dwi Sri. “Ta’aruf Rules in Digital Room: Study of Matchmaking Process on Biro Jodoh Rumaysho Social Media.” Asy-Syir’ah: Jurnal Ilmu Syari’ah Dan Hukum 56, no. 2 SE-Articles (August 10, 2022): 223–43. https://doi.org/10.14421/ajish.v56i2.1041.
Harper, Craig A, and Darren Rhodes. “Ideological Responses to the Breaking of COVID-19 Social Distancing Recommendations.” Group Processes & Intergroup Relations 26, no. 2 (February 26, 2022): 338–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302221074546.
Hibatul Wafi, M., Hidayati M., and S. Usman. “The Reproduction of Salafism in the Online Ecosystem: Strengthening of Indonesian Salafi Groups.” Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 2025. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2026128.
Hosen, Imran, and Md. Abdul Matin Bhuiyan. “The Intersection of Media and Politics in South Asia and the West.” Journal of Governance and Public Policy 5, no. 1 (2023): 1–18. https://doi.org/10.52823/AUWO6762.
Husein, Fatimah, and Martin Slama. “Online Piety and Its Discontent: Revisiting Islamic Anxieties on Indonesian Social Media.” Indonesia and the Malay World 46, no. 134 (2018): 80–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639811.2018.1415056.
Ichwan, Moch Nur, and Martin Slama. “Reinterpreting the First Pillar of the Nation: (Dis)Continuities of Islamic Discourses about the State Ideology in Indonesia.” Politics, Religion & Ideology 23, no. 4 (October 2, 2022): 457–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/21567689.2022.2139687.
Isma Indriyani, Putri, and Khadiq. “Transformation of Islamic Religious Practices in the Digital Era: Opportunities and Challenges for Contemporary Da’wah.” Jurnal Dakwah 24, no. 2 SE-Articles (December 30, 2023): 175–92. https://doi.org/10.14421/jd.2023.24205.
Kim, Seung Soo. “Religion, Migration, Mediation: The Transnational Lives of Thai Religious Imaginaries in South Korea.” Religions 16, no. 6 (2025). https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060748.
Kozak, Metin, Gurel Cetin, and Zaid Alrawadieh. “Repositioning Work and Leisure: Digital Nomads Versus Tourists.” International Journal of Tourism Research 26, no. 4 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2732.
Lichterman, Andrew. “The Peace Movement and the Ukraine War: Where to Now?” Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament 5, no. 1 (January 2, 2022): 185–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/25751654.2022.2060634.
Niam, Mohammad Fattahun. “Anak Muda Dan Media: Dakwah Sheikh Assim Di Media Sosial Sebagai Basis Transmisi Salafisme Di Indonesia.” Dialog 47, no. 1 SE-Articles (2024): 131–47. https://doi.org/10.47655/dialog.v47i1.932.
Perreault, Mildred F, and Gregory P Perreault. “Journalists on COVID-19 Journalism: Communication Ecology of Pandemic Reporting.” American Behavioral Scientist 65, no. 7 (February 5, 2021): 976–91. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764221992813.
Putra, D I Ansusa, Umma Farida, Dani Sartika, Abdurrohman Kasdi, and Silvia Handayani. “Quranic Mental Health amidst Pandemic: A Cultural-Hermeneutic Reading to the Salawat Community in Indonesia.” Mental Health, Religion & Culture 26, no. 1 (January 2, 2023): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2021.2009787.
Rachman, Arief, Theguh Saumantri, and Taufik Hidayatulloh. “Transformation of Religious Authority in the Digital Era: A Post-Normal Times Analysis by Ziauddin Sardar on the Phenomenon of Social Media Da’wah.” Jurnal Ilmu Dakwah 45, no. 1 SE-Articles (July 6, 2025): 107–22. https://doi.org/10.21580/jid.v45.1.25644.
Schrodt, Paul. “Religious Conversations and Relational Uncertainty in Romantic Relationships as Mediators of Family Communication Patterns and Young Adults’ Mental Well-Being.” Western Journal of Communication 85, no. 3 (May 27, 2021): 339–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/10570314.2020.1789729.
Slama, S J Katarina, Richard Jimenez, Sujayam Saha, David King-Stephens, Kenneth D Laxer, Peter B Weber, Tor Endestad, et al. “Intracranial Recordings Demonstrate Both Cortical and Medial Temporal Lobe Engagement in Visual Search in Humans.” Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 33, no. 9 (August 1, 2021): 1833–61. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01739.
Sorgenfrei, Simon. “Branding Salafism: Salafi Missionaries as Social Media Influencers.” Method & Theory in the Study of Religion 34, no. 3 (2021): 211–37. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1163/15700682-12341515.
Sukayat, Tata. “Da’wah Communication in the Contemporary Era: Implementing Da’wah Ethics on Social Media.” Jurnal Ilmu Dakwah 43, no. 2 (2023): 375–90. https://doi.org/10.21580/jid.v43.2.18465.
Sunarwoto, Sunarwoto. “Islam Salafi, Tafsir, Dan Politik Penyuntingan.” SUHUF 17, no. 2 SE-Articles (December 30, 2024). https://doi.org/10.22548/shf.v17i2.1059.
Sunaryanto. “Analisis: Jurnal Studi Keislaman Reading the Ideology of Salafi Da’wah: Media Technology Perspective.” Analisis Jurnal Studi Keislaman 23, no. 1 (2023): 21–46. https://doi.org/http://doi.org/10.24042/ ajsk.v23i1.14466.
Tabroni, Roni, and Idham. “From Radical Labels to Moderate Islam: The Transformation of the Salafism Movement in Indonesia.” Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies 13, no. 2 (2023): 279–306. https://doi.org/10.18326/IJIMS.V13I2.279-306.
Triyono, Agus, and Faruq Arif Nurangga. “Mediation of Islamic Thought Through Social Media Instagram on @Rumayshocom Account.” Perspektif Komunikasi: Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi Politik Dan Komunikasi Bisnis 8, no. 2 (2024): 199–212. https://doi.org/10.24853/pk.8.2.199-212.
Tsuria, Ruth, and Heidi A. Camphell. Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in Digital Media. New York: Routledge, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429295683.
Wagemakers, Joas. “Salafism.” Oxford University Press, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.255.
Wahib, Ahmad Bunyan. “Being Pious among Indonesian Salafis.” Al-Jami’ah 55, no. 1 (2017): 1–26. https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2017.551.1-26.
Whyte, Shaheen Amid. “The Ulama: History, Institutions and Modernity BT - Islamic Religious Authority in a Modern Age: Australian and Global Perspectives.” edited by Shaheen Amid Whyte, 29–53. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7931-8_2.
Widoyo, Agus Fatuh, Muhammad Abduh, M. Abduh Amrie, and Athoillah Islamy. “Moderation of Religion in the Fatwa of Majelis Ulama Indonesia about the Ethics of Da’wah in the Digital Age.” Jurnal Ilmu Dakwah 43, no. 1 (2023): 107–19. https://doi.org/10.21580/jid.v43.1.16053.
Website
Tuasikal, Muhammad Abduh. “3 Manfaat Besar Berkunjung Ke Website Islam.” Rumaysho.com.com, 2015. https://rumaysho.com/10668-manfaat-berkunjung-website-islam.html.
———. “Akibat Beramal Tanpa Tuntunan.” Rumaysho.com, 2014. https://rumaysho.com/7929-akibat-beramal-tanpa-tuntunan.html.
———. “Berhijrah Masih Separuh Hati.” Rumaysho.com, 2025. https://rumaysho.com/19294-berhijrah-masih-separuh-hati.html.
———. “Ciri-Ciri Fanatik Kelompok (Ashobiyah).” Rumaysho.com, 2025. https://rumaysho.com/11929-ciri-ciri-fanatik-kelompok-ashobiyah.html.
———. “Dampak Buruk Maksiat: Pelajaran Dari Ibnul Qayyim.” Rumaysho.com, 2025. https://rumaysho.com/39295-dampak-buruk-maksiat-pelajaran-dari-ibnul-qayyim.html.
———. “Fasik, Fajir, Dan Maksiat: Apa Bedanya?” Rumaysho.comyho.com, 2025. https://rumaysho.com/40334-fasik-fajir-dan-maksiat-apa-bedanya.html.
———. “Fatwa, Memakai Celana Panjang Dalam Shalat.” Rumaysho.com, 2024. https://rumaysho.com/1560-fatwa-memakai-celana-panjang-dalam-shalat.html.
———. “Ibnu Hajar Dan Imam Nawawi Dikatakan Mubtadi’.” Rumaysho.com, n.d. https://rumaysho.com/1628-ibnu-hajar-dan-imam-nawawi-dikatakan-mubtadi.html.
———. “Ingin Melamar Kerja Di Bank, Bolehkah?” Rumaysho.com, 2024. https://rumaysho.com/368-ingin-melamar-kerja-di-bank-bolehkah.html.
———. “Ini Yang Harus Dipahami, Para Ulama Berbeda Pendapat Dalam Pengertian Bid’ah.” Rumaysho.com, 2024. https://rumaysho.com/35214-ini-yang-harus-dipahami-para-ulama-berbeda-pendapat-dalam-pengertian-bidah.html.
———. “Menikah Itu Disunnahkan, Penjelasan Berbagai Hukum Nikah Disertai Dalil.” Rumaysho.com, 2025. https://rumaysho.com/39303-menikah-itu-disunnahkan-penjelasan-berbagai-hukum-nikah-disertai-dalil.html.
———. “Simbol Segitiga Dan Illuminati Dalam Masjid (Kritikan Untuk Ustadz Rahmat Baequni).” Rumaysho.com, 2019. https://rumaysho.com/20671-simbol-dajjal-dan-segitiga-dalam-masjid-kritikan-untuk-ustadz-rahmat-baequni.html.
———. “Syarhus Sunnah: Inilah Akidah Yang Disepakati Oleh Para Salaf.” Rumaysho.com, 2021. https://rumaysho.com/27394-syarhus-sunnah-inilah-akidah-yang-disepakati-oleh-para-salaf.html.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ali Ridho, Rusdiyanto, Mardan Umar, Mike Meiranti, Zainun Nur Hisyam Tahrus

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Dialogia : Jurnal Studi Islam dan Sosial allow the author(s) to hold the copyright without restrictions and allow the author(s) to retain publishing rights without restrictions, also the owner of the commercial rights to the article is the author.





