From Al-Haqq and Al-Batil to Digital Misinformation: Qur'anic Epistemic Ethics, Verification, and the Struggle for Truth in the Platform Age

Loso Judijanto

doi:10.59890/ijaamr.v4i9.315

Authors

Loso Judijanto IPOSS Jakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59890/ijaamr.v4i9.315

Keywords:

Al-Haqq, Al-Batil, Qur'anic Ethics, Misinformation, Disinformation, Epistemic Responsibility, Tabayyun, Digital Communication, Media Literacy, Truth

Abstract

Digital misinformation is often treated as a technical problem of false content, yet its persistence also raises a normative question: what responsibilities govern the reception, evaluation, transmission, and correction of information? This qualitative literature review develops a Qur'anic Epistemic Responsibility Framework (QERF) by placing the Qur'anic contrast between al-haqq (truth) and al-batil (falsehood) in dialogue with contemporary research on misinformation, cognitive bias, social identity, verification, correction, media literacy, and platform governance. The review uses the initiating source material on the clash between truth and falsehood as a conceptual starting point, while grounding empirical claims in peer-reviewed scholarship published primarily from 2020 to 2026. The synthesis identifies six linked duties: receiving information without equating exposure with truth; pausing before impulsive transmission; verifying source, evidence, and context; evaluating distinctions among fact, inference, opinion, and uncertainty; communicating proportionately to evidential confidence; and correcting errors when discovered. The article argues that Qur'anic ethics and misinformation science are complementary but not interchangeable: the former supplies a normative account of responsible communication, whereas the latter identifies empirically observed vulnerabilities and tested interventions. The resulting framework connects individual cognition with interpersonal norms, professional communication, platform architecture, and public institutions, offering a basis for digital literacy, journalism, religious communication, education, and public policy in Indonesia and beyond.

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