The Transformation of Tablighi Jamaat's Da'wah: Digital Adaptation and Political Engagement in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15575/idajhs.v19i1.45960Keywords:
Contemporary media; da’wah politics; da’wah transformation; Tablighi Jamaat.Abstract
This research examines the evolving da'wah dynamics among Tablighi Jamaat adherents in Indonesia. Founded by Muhammad Ilyas Al-Kandahlawi in India in 1926, this transnational movement has significantly impacted Indonesia's Islamic landscape through systematic propagation practices including khuruj (preaching journeys), jaulah (local rounds), and chillah (40-day periods). The movement's da'wah methodologies are rooted in Jamaat tradition, transmitted through written texts, particularly Fadhailul A'mal, and oral bayan (lectures) by amirs (leaders). This investigation addresses a scholarly gap by uncovering transformative shifts in Tablighi Jamaat's da'wah practices—previously underexplored areas that reveal how traditional Islamic missionary methods adapt to contemporary Indonesian contexts while maintaining doctrinal authenticity. Using qualitative analysis, this study demonstrates that da'wah exhibits inherent dynamism, evolving alongside cultural and civilizational advancements. This dynamism is evident in Tablighi Jamaat's traditions, where the movement maintains strict adherence to core principles while implementing modifications in practical application methods.The findings reveal notable conceptual adaptability in how current followers execute da'wah activities, representing a balance between preserving traditional methodology and responding to contemporary challenges. This adaptability demonstrates the movement's capacity to navigate modern contexts without compromising fundamental beliefs. The study contributes new insights into the intersection of traditional Islamic practices and contemporary Indonesian society, showing how religious movements maintain authenticity while embracing necessary adaptations. However, the research acknowledges methodological limitations and restricted thematic scope, indicating areas requiring further exploration in future research endeavors to fully understand these complex transformation processes.
References
Abdullah, I. (2017). Di Bawah Bayang-Bayang Media: Kodifikasi, Divergensi, Dan Kooptasi Agama Di Era Internet, Sabda: Jurnal Kajian Kebudayaan, 12(2), 116–121. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.14710/sabda.12.2.116-121
Abidin, K. (2020). Komunikasi Interpersonal Dalam Dakwah Kelompok Jamaah Tabligh, Al-Din: Jurnal Dakwah Dan Sosial Keagamaan, 5(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.35673/ajdsk.v5i1.575
Achmad, A. (2021). Tablighi Jamaat Schism : Responses and Changes of Its Members in Indonesia, Al-A’raf: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam Dan Filsafat, 18(1), 1–28. https://ejournal.uinsaid.ac.id/index.php/al-araf/article/view/3521/1348.
Ahmad, M. F. (2023a). Foundations and Evolution of Tablighi Jamaat Ideology: A Historical Analysis. Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada University Press.
Ahmad, Z. (2023b). Religious Pluralism and Islamic MovementsiIn Contemporary Indonesia. Jakarta: Pustaka Utama.
Akmaliah, W. (2020). The demise of moderate Islam: new media, contestation, and reclaiming religious authorities, Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 10(1), 1-24.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v10i1.1-24.
Ali, J. (2003a). Islamic revivalism: The case of the Tablighi Jamaat, Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 23(1), 173–181. DOI: 10.1080/13602000305935.
Ali, J. (2018b). The Tabligh Jama’at and Islamic revivalism in Fiji, Pacific Dynamics: Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 2(1), 12–20. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.26021/883
Ali, K., & Minxing, H. (2021c). Muslims preaching movements in British-India: An appraisal of the Tablighi Jamaat and its competitors, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal (LASSIJ), 5(1), 356–371. DOI: 10.47264/idea.lassij/5.1.23
Alkawy, M. B. (2019). Legitimasi Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) dalam Kontestasi Islam Politik Mutakhir, Politea: Jurnal Politik Islam, 2(2), 19–48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35905/almaarief.v1i2.1046
Al-Qardhawi, D. Y. (2007). Retorika Islam: Bagaimana seharusnya menampilkan wajah Islam (kedua). Pustaka Al-Kautsar.
Aminuddin, C. (2018). Jamaah Tabligh: Biswa Ijtima di Bangladesh Dihadiri 2 Juta Muslim. Tempo.Com, 1. https://dunia.tempo.co/read/1054136/jamaah-tabligh-biswa-ijtima-di-bangladesh-dihadiri-2-juta-muslim
Aqil, M. (2020). Konflik Kepemimpinan Jamaah Tabligh Di Kota Padang, Sumatera Barat, Indonesian Journal of Religion and Society, 2(1), 32–44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36256/ijrs.v2i1.85
Arifin, Z. (2017). Authority of Spiritual Leadership at Pesantren Temboro Based on Jamaah Tabligh Ideology, Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 6(2), 265–292. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14421/jpi.2017.62.265-292
Awabien, M. R. (2020). Living Hadis Di Kampung Madinah, Temboro, Magetan, Jurnal Living Hadis, 5(1), 105–132. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14421/livinghadis.2020.2171
Ayong, A. K. (2011). Islamic resurgence in contemporary Cameroon: the impact of the Tablighi Jamaat, Kuala Lumpur: International Islamic University Malaysia, 2011.
Aziz, M. A. (2020). Sufi Influences on Contemporary Islamic Movements in Sumatra. Medan: USU Press.
Baskara, B. (2020). The expansion of jama’ah tabligh movement and its influence on the religious belief of the bajo people in south east sulawesi, Journal of Indonesian Islam, 14(2), 519-540. DOI: 10.15642/JIIS.2020.14.2.519-540
Bruinessen, M. V. (2008a). Urban Sufisme (ed.). Jakarta: Rajawali Pers.
Bruinessen, M. V. (2013b). Contemporary Developments in Indonesian Islam: Explaining The Conservative Turn. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing.
Burki, S. K. (2013). The Tablighi Jama’at: Proselytizing Missionaries or Trojan Horse?, Journal of Applied Security Research, 8(1), 98–117. DOI: 10.1080/19361610.2013.738407
Bustamam-Ahmad, K. (2008). The history of Jama ‘ah Tabligh in Southeast Asia: the role of Islamic Sufism in Islamic revival, Al-Jami’ah: Journal of Islamic Studies, 46(2), 353–400. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2008.462.353-400
Casanova, J. (2011). Public Religions in The Modern World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Chuah, O. A., Shukri, A. S. M., & Yeoh, M. S. (2011). Indian Muslims in Malaysia: A sociological analysis of a minority ethnic group, Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 31(2), 217–230. DOI: 10.1080/13602004.2011.583513
Creswell, J. . (2016). Research Design. Jakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.
Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Islam. (2022). Statistik pendidikan Islam tahun 2022. Jakarta: Kementerian Agama RI.
Effendy, D. I., & Rustandi, D. (2020). The Identity Construction of Da’wah Leadership on Jama’ah Tabligh Movement, Ilmu Dakwah: Academic Journal for Homiletic Studies, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.15575/idajhs.v14i1.9210
Hamdi, S. (2015a). Demazhabization of Islam, Divinity Economy and Narratives of Conflict of the Tablighi Followers in Samarinda East Kalimantan, Al Albab Bourneo Journal of Religious Studies, 4(2), 146–168. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24260/alalbab.v4i2.285
Hamdi, S. (2021b). Dakwah Jamaah Tabligh di Asia tenggara : Negosiasi Mazhab, Tranformasi pendidikan dan Fasilitator Konflik Politik Keagamaan, JRP (Jurnal Review Politik), 11(1), 105–139. https://doi.org/10.15642/jrp.2021.11.1.105-139
Harian Kompas. (2019, November 15). "Ijtima Tablighi Jamaat di Gowa dihadiri 2,5 juta jamaah." Kompas.
Hasanah, U. (2014a). Keberadaan Kelompok Jamaah Tabligh dan Reaksi Masyarakat (Persepektif Teori Penyebaran informais dan pengaruh), Jurnal Indo-Islamika, 4(1), 21–44. https://doi.org/10.1548/idi.v4i1.1559
Hasanah, U. (2014b). Keberadaan Kelompok Jamaah Tabligh dan Reaksi Masyarakat (Perspektif Teori Penyebaran Informasi dan Pengaruh), Jurnal Indo-Islamika, 4(1), 21–44.
Hasanah, U. (2020). Kualifikasi Da’i: Komparasi Konseptual Retorika Dakwah dan Retorika Aristoteles, Jurnal Komunikasi Islam, 10(2), 256–275. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15642/jki.2020.10.2.256-275
Hidayat, R. (2024). Effectiveness of digital versus traditional da'wah methods: A quantitative study of Indonesian Islamic movement, Journal of Islamic Communication Studies, 12(1), 34-52.
Ismail, A. I. (2018). The True Da’wa: Menggagas Paradigma Baru Dakwah Era Milenial: Edisi Pertama. Jakarta: Prenada Media.
Ismail, I., & Hotman, P. (2013). Filsafat Dakwah Rekayasa Membangun Agama dan Peradaban Islam. Jakarta: Kencana.
Isnaini, S. (2022). Social Media and Public Participation of Tablighi Jamaat’s Women, Jurnal Studi Komunikasi, 6(1), 89–109. https://ejournal.unitomo.ac.id/index.php/jsk/article/view/4433
Kambayang, H. U. (2005). Usaha dakwah dan Tabligh. Jakarta: Pustaka Rahada.
Kementerian Agama RI. (2023). Data statistik masjid dan mushalla Indonesia 2023. Jakarta: Sekretariat Jenderal Kemenag RI.
Kuiper, M. J. (2017). Da ‘wa and Other Religions: Indian Muslims and the Modern Resurgence of Global Islamic Activism. Routledge.
Kuncoro, W. (2021). Ambivalence, Virtual Piety, and Rebranding: Social Media Uses among Tablighi Jama’at in Indonesia, CyberOrient, 15(1), 206–230. https://doi.org/10.1002/cyo2.12
Lembaga Survei Indonesia. (2021). Pemetaan Gerakan Keagamaan Di Indonesia: Laporan Survei Nasional. Jakarta: LSI.
Lestari, D., Pratiwi, A., & Setiawan, B. (2024). Adaptive strategies in Indonesian Islamic movements: A longitudinal study, Journal of Contemporary Islamic Studies, 18(2), 145-167.
Maharani, S., & Syafiq, A. (2024). YouTube as a da'wah platform: Content analysis of Indonesian Islamic preachers, Communication and Media Studies Quarterly, 15(3), 89-107.
Mahmood, S. (2020). Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and The Feminist Subject (2nd Ed.). Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Malik, H. (2022). Maritime Islam: Religious Practices in Coastal Communities of Sulawesi. Makassar: Universitas Hasanuddin Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Umdatul Hasanah , Ilah Holilah, Aang Saeful Milah, Halimatusa’diah Halimatusa’diah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish articles in Ilmu Dakwah: Academic Journal for Homiletic Studies agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright of the article and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a CC-BY-SA or The Creative Commons AttributionShareAlike License.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
