Between faith and science: The role of hadith in challenging Covid-19 protocols in Indonesia

Haris, Abdul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3464-1589 and Afifah, Nurul (2025) Between faith and science: The role of hadith in challenging Covid-19 protocols in Indonesia. Mashdar: Jurnal Studi Al-Qur'an dan Hadis, 7 (1). pp. 265-282. ISSN 26851555

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Abstract

This study aims to analyse how hadiths have been employed as means to delegitimize health protocol policies during the performance of prayer, including the use of masks, spacing of rows (saf), praying at home, and even mosque closures—a phenomenon that has received limited attention in hadith studies, particularly in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Adopting a constructivist approach, the study employs two levels of analysis: descriptive and critical, drawing data from social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. The findings show substantial variation in the media type, source, and quality of the hadiths employed. The interpretations of the hadith largely fall into two categories: simplistic and literalist–translationist. Both modes of understanding are prone to specific cognitive patterns: (1) authoritarianism and irrationality, and (2) romanticization of the past coupled with religious egoism. Collectively, these results underscore a pronounced polarization between “hadith” and “science.”

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	Covid-19; Hadith; Science; Social Media; Health Protocol
Subjects:	22 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 2204 Religion and Religious Studies > 220403 Islamic Studies > 22040301 Al-Quran, Tafsir and related science 22 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 2204 Religion and Religious Studies > 220403 Islamic Studies > 22040302 Al-Hadits, and related science
Divisions:	Faculty of Sharia and Law > Department al-Ahwal al-Syakhshiyyah
Depositing User:	Abdul Haris
Date Deposited:	10 Nov 2025 14:29

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