The Relevance of The Knowledge of Ruwat Al-Hadith in The Digital Era and The Spread of Religious Information in Social Medial

Abstract

The development of digital technology has transformed the way religious information is received and disseminated, particularly through social media platforms. The rapid and open flow of online religious content has contributed to the widespread circulation of fabricated hadiths, decontextualized sermon clips, and religious claims lacking authentic scholarly references. In this context, the science of Ruwat al-Hadith (Ilm al-Rijal) regains its relevance as a methodological framework for evaluating the credibility of information transmitters. This study aims to analyze how the principles of jarh and ta`dil can be adapted to assess the reliability of digital preachers, reference sources, and religious content circulating on social media. This research employs a qualitative approach through library-based analysis of classical and contemporary literature, including hadith studies, digital literacy research, and studies on religious misinformation. The findings indicate that the principles of Ilm al-Rijal can be applied to digital verification through identity authentication, content consistency evaluation, source tracing, and modern fact-checking practices. The study concludes that integrating classical methods with modern technology enhances the accuracy of religious information and strengthens public religious literacy in the digital era.