Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam
Vol. 15 No. 2 (2025): December

Vernacular Cyber-Sufism: Digital Ritual, Mediated Authority, and the Naqshbandi Haqqani Order in Indonesia

Wahyudi, M. Agus (Unknown)
Srimulyani, Eka (Unknown)
Shadiqin, Sehat Ihsan (Unknown)
Gumilang, Randi Muhammad (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
01 Dec 2025

Abstract

The article analyzes the incorporation of digital media within the Naqshbandi Haqqani Order in Indonesia and argues that it represents a significant transformation in contemporary Sufi practice. Based on qualitative interviews with members of local zāwiyahs, the study shows that digital platforms facilitate core tariqa practices, including online bay’a, virtual dhikr, and digital s}ah}ba. These practices demonstrate that digital space functions not merely as a medium of communication but as a legitimate site of ritual performance and spiritual experience. The findings challenge the conventional distinction between “religion online” and “online religion” by illustrating how barakah and spiritual authorization are reconfigured through technological mediation. The article contributes theoretically by introducing the concept of vernacular cyber-Sufism, in which local zāwiyahs act as espitemic intermediaries translating transnational Sufi authority into locally meaningful forms. This process reflects a pattern of negotiated authority shaped by the interaction of global charisma, local mediation, and platform visibility. At the same time, digital expansion produces ambivalent effects, simultaneously widening access to Sufi learning while raising concerns about authenticity and the commodification of knowledge.

Copyrights © 2025






Journal Info

Abbrev

teosofi

Publisher

Subject

Religion Social Sciences

Description

Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam (ISSN 2088-7957, E-ISSN 2442-871X) diterbitkan oleh Program Studi Filsafat Agama Fakultas Ushuluddin dan Filsafat Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel Surabaya pada bulan Juni 2011. Jurnal ini terakreditasi pada 3 Juli 2014 sesuai Keputusan Menteri ...