Reframing Islamic Family Law Through Web-Based Tafsir: The Case of Nushuz in the Indonesian Tafsir Online

Abstract

One of the most effective strategies for disseminating tafsīr al-aḥkām today is through digital platforms, particularly Islamic web portals. These sites offer accessible, thematic, and concise interpretations that appeal to diverse audiences, especially on gender-sensitive issues such as nushūz, which has often been read in ways that marginalize women’s rights. This article draws on the theories of Cyber Islamic Environments (CIEs) and virtual community. This study conceptualizes Islamic tafsīr websites as interactive digital spaces where individuals with shared religious commitments form interpretive communities. These communities not only consume religious content but also participate in reinterpreting Islamic law through inclusive, rights-based frameworks. Focusing on two Indonesian websites, tanwir.id and tafsiralquran.id, this normative study combines conceptual analysis with a comparison of digital content. The findings reveal two key points: first, both platforms advance progressive interpretations of nushūz that prioritize women’s protection from psychological and physical harm, reframing it through ethical accountability and gender equity; second, the interactive nature of these platforms fosters virtual tafsīr communities, enabling collective knowledge production that challenges patriarchal norms and advances interpretations aligned with maqāṣid al-sharīʿa. In this way, digital tafsīr not only contributes to reforming Islamic family law in Indonesia but also democratizes religious authority and embeds Islamic ethics in lived online experiences.