Strategic impoliteness in digital da’wah : Qur’anic and pragmatic analysis of immodesty as solidarity

This work of literature critically reflects on what appeared to be rude yet tactical communication styles by Islamic preachers on online platforms. This article, on the one hand, employs an integrated theoretical approach that integrates the Quranic communication ethics with pragmatics, critical discourse analysis (CDA) and politeness theory to understand how deviant practices of the classical Islamic communication norms are pragmatically used to forge solidarity, emotional closeness and authenticity of da’wah within a modern digital setting. This article, after studying the speech of well-known digital preachers in detail, demonstrates that strategic impropriety is not merely an ethical offense but a rhetorical maneuver for renegotiating religious authority in the online community. Based on the concept of qaulan in the Quran, this research provides a normative Islamic approach to the development of da’wah communication styles and to the relationships among politeness, pragmatic effectiveness and social relevance in the development of authority and audience interest in the digital world.