Sufi values on TikTok: Social media usage and its implications for the digital spread of Sufism

Social media increasingly mediates various aspects of life, including religion and religiosity. This study examines how Sufi values are conveyed and experienced through TikTok videos, focusing on their manifestation, modes of delivery, and implications for audiences. Employing a qualitative netnography approach, this research analyses 50 of the most popular videos from 10 selected TikTok accounts that actively disseminate Sufi-related content. The findings reveal a distinction between content visibility and value interpretation. While philosophical Sufism ( tasawuf falsafi ) appears more dominant, as reflected by its share of the sampled most-viewed videos (58%, 29 of 50 videos), the internalisation of Sufi values among viewers is more strongly associated with ethical dimensions, especially the process of shaping everyday moral conduct ( akhlaq ), which is represented in the users' comments (46%). In addition, the findings indicate that content referencing internationally recognised Sufi figures achieves markedly higher audience engagement than content referencing local figures, approximately four to six times higher average views, likes, and shares, despite local figures being slightly more numerous among the referenced sources (9 versus 7 of the 16 scholars identified), suggesting an alteration in patterns of religious authority that are presented within digital environments. Furthermore, TikTok-mediated Sufism has implications for three core aspects of Islamic teachings: aqidah, sharia , and akhlaq , demonstrating its role in shaping religious understanding and practice. These dynamics reflect a broader transformation in the representation and transmission of Sufi values, where traditional modes of spiritual learning, previously centred on direct engagement with a sheikh or murshid, are increasingly complemented with digitally mediated experiences. This study contributes to the field of digital religion by showing that TikTok videos function not merely as a medium of transmission, but as a constitutive environment that reshapes how Sufi values are produced, circulated, and interpreted, as well as how religious authority is conferred in contemporary Muslim societies.