Algorithmic Spiritual Authority Digital Sufism and the Reconfiguration of Sanad in Indonesia

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Published: 2025-12-30
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14421/esensia.v26i2.7772
Keywords:
Algorithmic spiritual authority, digital Sufism, religious mediatization, sanad, platform religion

Main Article Content

Eko Harianto
Insitut Agama Islam Latifah Mubarokiyah Tasikmalaya
Reni Dian Lestari
Insitut Agama Islam Latifah Mubarokiyah Tasikmalaya
Try Riduwan Santoso
Institut Agama Islam Latifah Mubarokiyah Tasikmalaya
Jamaludin
Institut Agama Islam Latifah Mubarokiyah Tasikmalaya

Abstract

Digital platforms increasingly mediate the circulation of dhikr, salawat, Sufi aphorisms, healing narratives, devotional music, and online majelis in Indonesia. This article examines how platform visibility reshapes public perceptions of Sufi authority and how this transformation interacts with sanad (spiritual lineage), embodied guidance, and institutional recognition. Rather than claiming a statistically bounded netnography, the study adopts a conceptual–interpretive design that synthesizes digital religion, mediatization, commodification, and Indonesian Sufism, supported by illustrative observations of publicly accessible platform genres. The analysis identifies five forms of digital Sufism and develops a five-stage mechanism: visibility production, credibility inference, authority performance, institutional legitimation or contestation, and consequences for spiritual formation. Algorithmic spiritual authority does not simply refer to authority produced by algorithms but to a platform-conditioned regime in which metrics, repetition, aesthetics, and affective resonance become proxies for spiritual credibility. Digitalization thus produces hybrid legitimacy negotiated by institutions, creators, and audiences. The article explains when visibility becomes authority and distinguishes observable platform cues from inferred recommendation effects. Responsible adaptation requires spiritual literacy, credential transparency, layered pedagogy, and pathways toward accountable learning.

Article Details

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Vol. 26 No. 2 (2025)

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

Author Biographies

Eko Harianto, Insitut Agama Islam Latifah Mubarokiyah Tasikmalaya

Eko Harianto is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Sufi studies at Institut Agama Islam Latifah Mubarokiyah (IAILM), Tasikmalaya, Indonesia. His academic interests include classical and contemporary Sufism, Islamic spirituality, and ethical formation. Through his studies, he seeks to explore the relevance of Sufi thought for addressing spiritual and moral challenges in contemporary society.

Reni Dian Lestari, Insitut Agama Islam Latifah Mubarokiyah Tasikmalaya

 Reni is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Sufi studies at Institut Agama Islam Latifah Mubarokiyah (IAILM), Tasikmalaya, Indonesia. His academic interests include classical and contemporary Sufism, Islamic spirituality, and ethical formation. Through her studies, she seeks to explore the relevance of Sufi thought for addressing spiritual and moral challenges in contemporary society.

Try Riduwan Santoso, Institut Agama Islam Latifah Mubarokiyah Tasikmalaya

Try Riduwan Santoso is a lecturer at Institut Agama Islam Latifah Mubarokiyah (IAILM) Suryalaya, Tasikmalaya, West Java, Indonesia. His research interests focus on Islamic education, Sufism, religious moderation, and the spiritual practices of the. He has published works on Sufi healing, religious spirituality, and the role of Sufism in contemporary Muslim society.

Jamaludin, Institut Agama Islam Latifah Mubarokiyah Tasikmalaya

Jamaludin is a lecturer at Institut Agama Islam Latifah Mubarokiyah (IAILM) Suryalaya, Tasikmalaya, West Java, Indonesia. His research interests focus on Islamic education, Sufism, religious moderation, and the spiritual practices of the Tariqah Qadiriyah Naqshabandiyah (TQN) of Suryalaya. 

How to Cite

“Algorithmic Spiritual Authority: Digital Sufism and the Reconfiguration of Sanad in Indonesia”. ESENSIA: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Ushuluddin 26, no. 2 (December 30, 2025): 96–108. Accessed August 23, 2026. https://ejournal.uin-suka.ac.id/ushuluddin/esensia/article/view/7772.

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