AI Ustazah on Social Media: Digital Da'wah Opportunities and Challenges to Religious Authority (A Case Study of the TikTok Account @nia.hajar_s)

Abstrak

The TikTok account @nia.hajar_s, featuring a figure called "Ustazah Hajar", went viral in late June 2026 and was later revealed to be entirely generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Within roughly two weeks, the account reportedly exceeded 1.2 million followers before being set to private. This study aims to describe the development of the phenomenon, identify the digital da'wah opportunities it offers, and analyse the challenges it poses to Islamic religious authority. Using a qualitative descriptive-analytical method with a case study design, data were collected through documentation of 16 news articles from 12 online media outlets published between 25 June and 31 July 2026, supplemented by a literature review, and analysed through content analysis using Heidi A. Campbell's layers of religious authority and the concept of sanad in the Islamic scholarly tradition. The findings show that the AI persona gained public trust through convincing visuals and algorithmic distribution rather than through scholarly hierarchy, community, or verifiable textual references. The phenomenon expands the reach of da'wah but raises accountability problems, as no clear subject can be held responsible for errors in content. The study recommends five principles for managing AI-based da'wah: positioning AI as a tool, identity transparency, verification by scholars, operator accountability, and strengthening digital religious literacy.