The distortions of Aqidah on digital platforms to raise the Islamic populism

Digitized Islam—the algorithmically mediated dissemination of Islamic theology through digital platforms—has transformed the discourse of ʿaqīdah by narrowing its epistemological scope and shifting it from rational-theological inquiry to ideologically charged framings. This study analyzes the thematic construction of ʿaqīdah on two prominent Salafi-oriented websites, https://www.Aqidah.com and https://islamqa.info, which collectively receive millions of monthly visits and represent significant nodes in digital Islamic discourse. Using Arkoun’s outward-inward hermeneutic framework, the study employs qualitative content analysis on 100 articles to trace thematic transformations and semantic realignments. Findings reveal a marked absence of classical theological categories such as ʿilm (rational knowledge), al-Żāt (divine essence), and jadal (dialectical reasoning), replaced by the frequent emphasis on bidʿah (innovation), al-walāʾ wa al-barāʾ (loyalty and disavowal), and supernatural beliefs like ruqyah and jinn. These shifts are driven by two interrelated factors: (1) the algorithmic affordances of digital platforms that favor high-engagement, emotionally resonant content; and (2) the ideological-populist orientation of site curators who promote exclusivist theological boundaries. The result is a digital populist theology that privileges doctrinal rigidity over philosophical depth. This transformation disrupts the authority of traditional scholarship and risks widespread internalization of reductionist views on ʿaqīdah. The study calls for increased digital religious literacy and ethical content governance to counter epistemic distortion and to re-center reasoned theological discourse within the digital Islamic public sphere.