OTORITAS TAFSIR DI ERA VIRAL: MENIMBANG VALIDITAS PENAFSIRAN AL-QUR’AN DI MEDIA SOSIAL

Abstrak

The development of social media has transformed the way people acquire religious understanding, including in the practice of Qur’anic interpretation. The phenomenon of viral sermons on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok indicates that tafsir is no longer conveyed solely by traditional scholarly authorities, but also by popular figures with wide-reaching audiences. This condition is important to examine, as it has the potential to produce interpretations lacking strong methodological foundations. This study aims to analyze the validity of the interpretation of Surah An-Naml verse 18 in a viral sermon by Ghufron concerning the “language of ants,” as well as to examine netizens’ responses as an indicator of shifting authority in digital tafsir. The research employs a qualitative approach using a case study method. Primary data are derived from video excerpts of the sermon and netizen comments, while secondary data are drawn from authoritative tafsir works and literature on ‘ulum al-Qur’an. The data are analyzed using content analysis within the framework of tafsir epistemology. The findings reveal that the “language of ants” narrative presented in the sermon is inconsistent with established principles of Qur’anic interpretation, particularly in terms of linguistic analysis, the context of prophetic miracles, and reliance on authoritative scholarly references. Netizen responses tend to be critical and question the legitimacy of the interpretation. These findings highlight a shift in the authority of tafsir from a scholarly foundation toward social media popularity, as well as the urgent need to strengthen digital tafsir literacy.