Digital Islamic Studies in Indonesia: Ontological, Epistemological and Axiological Perspectives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22452/afkar.vol28no1.5Keywords:
Digital Islamic studies, Fourth Industrial Revolution, ontology, epistemology, axiologyAbstract
This article analyzes the significance of Islamic studies in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by positioning Indonesia as the world’s largest Muslim-majority society and one of the most dynamic digital ecosystems globally, as a strategic analytical site. The discussion is constructed within the framework of Islamic philosophy of knowledge to reassess the position and orientation of Islamic Studies amid the accelerating transformation of digital technology. Contrary to narratives that regard the decline of the social sciences and humanities as inevitable in the digital era, this article argues that Islamic studies is not experiencing an inherent decline, rather, it is confronting demands for epistemic and methodological renewal. Employing a qualitative-conceptual approach through ontological, epistemological and axiological analyses, this article formulates a conceptualization of digital Islamic studies as a paradigm of scholarly renewal within a digitally literate society, particularly among Generation Z as digital natives. Ontologically, digital Islamic studies interpret digital space as an arena for articulating religiosity and forming new religious authority. Epistemologically, it seeks to integrate the Islamic scholarly tradition with digital technology as a medium for the transmission and production of knowledge, without abandoning the normative foundations of revelation. Axiologically, digital Islamic studies are directed toward reaffirming the ethical vision of Islam and the maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah in responding to humanitarian crises, psychological anxieties, and spiritual alienation, and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence.
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