An Irshad-Based Approach in the Digital Age Through the Dhikr Practices of Habib Luthfi bin Yahya

Authors

  • Yumna Azkia Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten
  • Nur Asia Tawang Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten
  • Vedat Karadeniz Erzincan Binali Yildirim University
  • Moch Zainal Arifin Hasan Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Syari'ah Sultan Fatah Lampung Utara
  • Sinawar Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Miftahul Ulum Tarate Pandian Sumenep

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54150/alirsyad.v4i1.391

Keywords:

Spiritual Guidance, Digital Media, Habib Luthfi bin Yahya

Abstract

Habib Luthfi bin Yahya’s use of digital technology in disseminating dzikir has expanded the reach of Islamic preaching, created virtual spiritual communities, and strengthened religious interactions in an interactive and trustworthy manner. This study analyzes Habib Luthfi bin Yahya’s utilization of digital media to spread dzikir and provide spiritual guidance to the broader public engagingly and interactively. The research employs a qualitative approach and literature review, collecting data through documentation from various books, journals, and relevant online articles. The research findings indicate that da'wah in the digital era must adapt methods, content, and media to align with technological advancements and societal needs. The irsyad approach, which emphasizes personal relationships, effectively addresses psychological and spiritual issues. Dzikir therapy helps foster inner peace and closeness to God. Habib Luthfi bin Yahya serves as a model of a moderate scholar who wisely utilizes digital media to spread peaceful Islamic messages. Through online platforms, he builds spiritual communities and raises religious awareness across generations. This da'wah model combines Sufi values and Ahlussunnah wal Jamaah ethics, creating tolerant content and strengthening an inclusive Islamic identity. Conclusion: Digital technology is effective for Islamic preaching; scholars like Habib Luthfi spread Islam widely and profoundly through digital platforms.

References

Abdullah, F. (2017). Elements of emotional and spiritual intelligence in Mohammad Natsir's approach of da'wah. Intellectual Discourse, 25(1), 57–77.

Afidah, I., Sholeh, S. M., Suhendi, H., & Izadi, F. F. (2024). Community-driven initiatives to enhance religious awareness among migrant communities in Malaysia, Australia, and South Korea. Journal of Religious and Theological Information, 23(4), 111–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2024.2307729

Aini, Z., & Don, A. G. (2022). The implementation of communication skills in da'wah. Hamdard Islamicus, 45(1), 81–102.

Ali, I., & Abdollahi, M. E. (2024). Divine traditions and the governance of the city-state of Medina. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 80(3), a10094. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v80i3.10094

Ali, M. H. (2023). On self-knowledge, divine trial, and discipleship. In From the divine to the human: Contemporary Islamic thinkers on evil, suffering, and the global pandemic (pp. 29–43). Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003371670-4

Baidowi, A., & Salehoddin, M. (2021). Strategi dakwah di era new normal. Muttaqien: Indonesian Journal of Multidisciplinary Islamic Studies, 2(1), 58–74. https://doi.org/10.52593/mtq.02.1.04

Briandana, R., Doktoralina, C. M., Hassan, S. A., & Hasan, W. N. W. (2020). Da'wah communication and social media: The interpretation of millennials in Southeast Asia. International Journal of Economics and Business Administration, 8(1), 216–226. https://doi.org/10.35808/ijeba/543

Brinkley, A. (2023). Digitisation 2.0 for Industry 4.0. New Electronics, 56(9), 30–31. https://doi.org/10.12968/s0047-9624(24)60052-0

Dahlan, Z., Tanjung, M., Asari, H., & Wibowo, B. S. (2025). Celebrity ulama’: Opportunities for the commodification of religion and the values of Islamic education Das’ad Latif. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 12(1), 2492427. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2492427

Ettridge, P. (2023). Amid complexity: Agile industrial digital transformation. Control Engineering, 70(6), 29–31.

Fadhli, M., & Nashrillah, N. (2025). The Influence of Da’wah Messages on the Ustadz Adi Hidayat Official YouTube Account on Students’ Religious Behavior. Syiar: Jurnal Komunikasi Dan Penyiaran Islam, 5(1), 91–102. https://doi.org/10.54150/syiar.v5i1.637

Hamsyah, F., & Subandi. (2017). Dzikir and happiness: A mental health study on an Indonesian Muslim Sufi group. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, 19(1), 80–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/19349637.2016.1193404

Hamzah, H., Ahmad, S., Hamzah, M. L., Purwati, A. A., & Mutia, T. (2023). Islamic animation: Netnographic analysis on digital processing transformation in social media. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 6(3), 372–385. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v6i3.4054

Harwahyu, R., Asvial, M., Suryanegara, M., Kusrini, E., Kartohardjono, S., Sahlan, M., Atmodiwirjo, P., Yatmo, Y. A., Surjandari, I., & Zagloel, T. Y. M. (2022). Innovating for sustainable development. International Journal of Technology, 13(6), 1159–1162. https://doi.org/10.14716/ijtech.v13i6.6033

Hasanah, U., Anam, K., & Muassomah, M. (2024). Modernising tradition: Reinforcing ASWAJA al-Nahdhiyah authority among millennials in Indonesia. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 80(1), Article a9425. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v80i1.9425

Hidayah, A. R. (2021). Theorization the use of podcasts as an alternative medium of da'wah and its impact on the audience: The case of Indonesia. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 29(4), 2635–2651. https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.29.4.29

Hisamatsu, E. (2024). Hesychasm and Sufism A comparison between Jesus Prayer and Dhikr. Religions, 15(12), Article 1556. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121556

Inun, L. I., Sari, N. R. F., & Zuhriyah, L. F. (2025). Preaching In Marginal Spaces: Audience Reception Of Gus Miftah’s Da’wah Through Stuart Hall’s Encoding-Decoding Approach. Syiar: Jurnal Komunikasi Dan Penyiaran Islam, 5(1), 35–46. https://doi.org/10.54150/syiar.v5i1.645

Istiqomah, N., Nadhiroh, W., Zulaichah, S., & Amnesti, S. K. W. (2025). Transforming kitab kuning recitation through digitalization in pesantren. Jurnal Lektur Keagamaan, 23(1), 342–373. https://doi.org/10.31291/jlka.v23i1.1358

Jalaluddin, M., Siskawati, I., Kudrotullah, A., Uyun, N., & Eletmany, M. R. (2024). Social Media Da’wah as a Means to Deepen the Religious Understanding of Generation Z. Syiar: Jurnal Komunikasi Dan Penyiaran Islam, 4(2), 173–184. https://doi.org/10.54150/syiar.v4i2.633

Khan, F., Keshavarzi, H., Ahmad, M., Ashai, S., & Sanders, P. (2025). Application of Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy (TIIP) and its clinical outcome on psychological distress among American Muslims in outpatient therapy. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 12(2), 147–160. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000350

Kholifah, N., & Hikmah, A. N. (2024). The Use of Digital Media as a Da’wah Tool in Sejuta Pemuda Mosque. Syiar: Jurnal Komunikasi Dan Penyiaran Islam, 4(2), 73–84. https://doi.org/10.54150/syiar.v4i2.496

Kholili, M., Izudin, A., & Hakim, M. L. (2024). Islamic proselytizing in digital religion in Indonesia: The challenges of broadcasting regulation. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 2357460. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2357460

Kurmanaliyev, M., Kerim, S., Shakizada, S., Almukhametov, A., & Abdilkhakim, B. (2025). Online preachers – A new phenomenon in the media space of Central Asian countries. Pharos Journal of Theology, 106(3). https://doi.org/10.46222/pharosjot.106.3016

Lahmar, F. (2024). Redefining leadership: The role of spirituality and motherhood in Muslim women’s educational leadership. Religions, 15(12), 1565. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121565

Maemonah, Purnama, S., Rohinah, Aziz, H., Faza, A. B., & others. (2022). The shift in the authority of Islamic religious education: A qualitative content analysis on online religious teaching. The Qualitative Report, 27(9), 1830–1846. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5325

Mamat, M. A., & Zarif, M. M. M. (2019). The importance of dhikr in learning according to Malay manuscript: A study on MSS 2906 (b) Tiby?n al-Mar?m [Keperluan zikir dalam pembelajaran menurut manuskrip Melayu: Kajian terhadap MSS 2906 (b) Tiby?n al-Mar?m]. Journal of Al-Tamaddun, 14(1), 37–51. https://doi.org/10.22452/JAT.vol14no1.4

Mappaselleng, N. S., & Sabri, A. Z. S. B. A. (2018). Messages and meaning of giving in Tulkiyamat manuscript: A preaching communication analysis in the tradition of Tulkiyamat reading in Makassar community. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 13, 5339–5344. https://doi.org/10.3923/jeasci.2018.5339.5344

Mohamed, H. A.-B., Mutalib, M. A., Jalal, B., Yasin, R., & Mohamed, R. (2021). Roles, principles, requirements, and characteristics of Islamic spirituality in leadership. In The role of Islamic spirituality in the management and leadership process (pp. 1–22). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-6892-7.ch001

Mohd Noor, M. H., Suyurno, S. S. H., & Mohd Sairi, F. (2022). The concept of non-verbal da'wah communication (non-verbal) Badiuzzaman Said Nursi based on Kitab Rasail An-Nur. Journal of Fatwa Management and Research, 27(2), 64–72. https://doi.org/10.33102/jfatwa.vol27no2.438

Muchtar, A., & Alam, N. A. R. (2019). Da’wah ecology: The concept of education and development da’wah in a whole. Humanities and Social Sciences Reviews, 7(4), 730–735. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2019.7493

Muharrifah, E., & Sikumbang, A. T. (2025). The Effectiveness of Ustadz Hanan Attaki’s Da’wah Sharing Time on Youtube. Syiar: Jurnal Komunikasi Dan Penyiaran Islam, 5(1), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.54150/syiar.v5i1.642

Munsoor, M. S., & Munsoor, H. S. (2017). Well-being and the worshipper: A scientific perspective of selected contemplative practices in Islam. Humanomics, 33(2), 163–188. https://doi.org/10.1108/H-08-2016-0056

Murugesan, S. (2021). The continuing IT evolution and revolution. IT Professional, 23(3), 18–20. https://doi.org/10.1109/MITP.2021.3078688

Nizam Bin Abd Aziz, M. S., Bin Noor Hishamudin, N. I., & Dahnil, D. P. (2023). A modern zikr practice through the portable digital tasbih solution. In 2023 IEEE International Conference on Computing (ICOCO 2023) (pp. 334–338). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICOCO59262.2023.10397925

Raya, M. K. F. (2024). Digital religion: The packaging and persuasion of celebrity preachers in contemporary Indonesia. Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, 23(67), 80–94.

Raya, M. K. F. (2025). Digital Islam: New space for authority and religious commodification among Islamic preachers in contemporary Indonesia. Contemporary Islam, 19(1), 161–194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-024-00570-z

Sejin, J. (2023). The idea and action of Zikr in Sufism. Voprosy Filosofii, 2023(2), 210–214. https://doi.org/10.21146/0042-8744-2023-2-210-214

Sholihah, R. A., & Rohmatulloh, D. M. (2023). ‘Morning slaps’ da’wah: A study on @taqy_malik Instagram account registers. Intellectual Discourse, 31(2), 551–574. https://doi.org/10.31436/id.v31i2.1914

Sikumbang, A. T., Dalimunthe, M. A., Kholil, S., & Nasution, N. F. (2024). Digital da'wah: Indonesia ulema in the discourse of theology. Pharos Journal of Theology, 105(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.46222/pharosjot.1051

Simamora, I. Y., & Farid, A. S. (2024). Rethinking the use of social media in Islamic broadcasting practices: A theological perspective. Pharos Journal of Theology, 105(5), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.46222/pharosjot.105.516

Situmorang, T. (2017). The effort of Islamic counseling guidance by counselor in solving students’ problem at State Islamic Senior High School (MAN) 2 Model Medan. Astra Salvensis, 2017, 737–748.

Wirianto, D., Manan, A., Zubaidah, & Suraiya. (2023). Unveiling spiritual guidance: Sheikh Muhammad Waly al-Khalidy’s role in Naqshbandiyah Sufi Order in Aceh. Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam, 13(2), 181–203. https://doi.org/10.15642/teosofi.2023.13.2.181-203

Zaenur, L. A. (2025). Reconseptualising da‘wa: A study of Tuan Gurus’ perceptions and motivations in adopting digital da‘wa. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 19(1), 92–116. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2025.19.1.92-116

Zafri, N. D. B., Opir, H. B., & Binti Yahaya, A. M. (2023). Interactive preaching towards youth through social media [Dakwah interaktif terhadap golongan belia melalui media sosial]. Journal of Fatwa Management and Research, 28(2), 54–69. https://doi.org/10.33102/jfatwa.vol28no2.528

Zahir, F. R., & Qoronfleh, M. W. (2025). Traditional Islamic spiritual meditative practices: Powerful psychotherapies for mental wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1538865. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1538865

Downloads

Published

2025-03-15

How to Cite

Azkia, Y., Tawang, N. A., Karadeniz, V., Hasan, M. Z. A., & Sinawar, S. (2025). An Irshad-Based Approach in the Digital Age Through the Dhikr Practices of Habib Luthfi bin Yahya. Al Irsyad: Jurnal Studi Islam, 4(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.54150/alirsyad.v4i1.391