REIFICATION OF DA'WAH MEANING THROUGH MEDIA AMONG PRACTITIONERS OF THE "AZAB" SUB-GENRE RELIGIOUS SOAP OPERA

This study examines how behind-the-scenes practitioners of the "azab" (divine punishment) sub-genre religious television dramas perceive da'wah (Islamic proselytizing) through television media and the role of religious preachers within it, viewed through the lens of Axel Honneth's theory of recognition. For Honneth, recognition is a fundamental human need in the process of identity and integrity formation. Conversely, misrecognition can lead to social pathologies. This misrecognition is what Lukács termed reification—the objectification of abstract values. Complex values are simplified and treated merely as tools or commodities for profit. Through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and in-depth interviews with those involved in the production of these dramas, the research found that while the shows are considered an effective means of da'wah and the media provides a platform for it, this recognition is superficial. Within this dynamic, spiritual values are reified into profit-oriented messages. The role of the preachers in the production serves only to provide religious legitimacy. At the same time, the content of the da'wah is subordinated to industrial interests, sacrificing the empowerment of spiritual messages.