‘ <i>Santri</i> without <i>pesantren</i> ’ and the sectarian violence on Indonesian Muslim social media

The digital era has transformed the learning patterns and religious practices of Muslims in Indonesia. Social media has become not only a medium of da’wah (conveying the message of Islam) but has also generated a new phenomenon termed ‘santri without pesantren’—individuals who acquire religious knowledge instantly through digital platforms without engaging in the established Indonesian scholarly traditions of pesantren (Islamic boarding school). This study aims to explain the emergence of this phenomenon, its socio-religious implications, and its association with the rise of sectarian violence among Indonesian Muslims on social media. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, this research utilizes library-based data and observations of digital content. The analysis is guided by the framework of maqāṣid al-Sharī’ah (the objectives of Islamic law), which encompasses five core principles: hifẓ al-dīn (religious protection), hifẓ al-nafs (protection of soul), hifẓ al-’aql (protection of reason), hifẓ al-nasl (protection of posterity), and hifẓ al-māl (protection of property). The findings reveal that the ‘santri without pesantren’ phenomenon produces ambivalent outcomes. On one hand, it democratizes Islamic learning and broadens access to religious knowledge. On the other hand, it contributes to fragmented understanding, growing fanaticism, exclusivism, and the amplification of hate speech that fuels sectarian tensions. The maqāṣid-based analysis confirms that sectarian violence contradicts the objectives of the Shari’a, as it undermines religion, life, intellect, lineage, and communal welfare. This study concludes that the rise of ‘santri without pesantren’ necessitates strategic responses, including the strengthening of Islamic digital literacy and the promotion of moderated, ethically grounded da’wah in online spaces.