Reconstruction of Religious Authority in the Digital Era: Knowledge Criteria, Sanad, Muru'ah, and Da'wah Ethics in the Perspective of Bahtsul Masail LBM PCNU Temanggung

Abstract

The transformation of the religious public sphere through digital media has altered how religious authority is constructed, recognized, and consumed. Popularity, follower counts, rhetorical skills, and algorithmic visibility increasingly shape how religious figures are recognized, while depth of knowledge, scholarly transmission, moral integrity, and exemplary conduct risk being marginalized. This article aims to reconstruct the concept of religious authority based on classical Islamic scholarship and contemporary studies of digital religion. It employs a qualitative library-research approach with normative-interpretive analysis of the decision issued by the Bahtsul Masail forum of LBM PCNU Temanggung on 11 July 2026. Classical primary sources include Bulghat al-Ṭullāb, al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, Iḥyā' 'Ulūm al-Dīn, Tafsir Ibn Kathīr, al-Majmū' Sharḥ al-Muhadhdhab, Tafsir al-Baghawī, Tafsir al-Qurṭubī, al-Tafsīr al-Munīr, 'Awārif al-Ma'ārif, and Adab al-Dunyā wa al-Dīn. Contemporary sources consist of scholarly studies published between 2022 and 2026 on digital religion and religious authority in Indonesia. The findings show that religious authority in the pesantren tradition rests on at least four dimensions: epistemic competence, scholarly transmission, moral integrity, and pedagogical-da'wah capacity. Digital media need not be seen as a threat to ulama authority, but as a new arena that requires adaptation without abandoning its epistemic foundations. This article proposes an Integrative Religious Authority (IRA) model connecting 'ilm, sanad, muru'ah, ḥikmah, and digital adaptation — a framework NU can use for religious literacy, preacher curation, pesantren strengthening, and the development of a digital da'wah ecosystem