About the Journal

Suhuf: International Journal of Islamic Studies is a rigorously peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Faculty of Islamic Studies, Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta (UMS), Indonesia. The journal is dedicated to advancing specialized, high-impact scholarship at the intersection of classical Islamic sciences, contemporary global challenges, and emerging developments in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and technological innovation within Islamic studies.

Unlike generalist Islamic studies journals, Suhuf distinguishes itself through a deep disciplinary focus in five core domains:

  1. Islamic Economics and Finance: Research in this domain addresses Shariah-compliant financial systems in their classical and contemporary dimensions. Suhuf welcomes scholarship on Islamic social finance, including zakat, waqf, and microfinance, as well as the legal architecture of Islamic financial markets. The journal gives particular attention to the intersection of Islamic finance and digital innovation: algorithmic risk assessment in Shariah-compliant banking, regulatory frameworks for Islamic fintech and cryptocurrency, AI-driven zakat distribution systems, and the application of maqashid al-Shariah to emerging financial technologies.
  2. Islamic Education: This domain covers pedagogical innovation, institutional transformation, and teacher development within faith-based learning environments. Suhuf publishes empirically grounded research on digital transformation in pesantren and madrasah, including the integration of AI-assisted learning tools, adaptive digital curricula, and technology-mediated Qur'anic literacy. Studies examining the theological and ethical dimensions of digitizing Islamic educational traditions are especially welcome.
  3. Qur’anic and Hadith Studies: Suhuf features critical scholarship in classical and contemporary exegesis (tafsir), textual hermeneutics, and comparative scriptural interpretation across Muslim-majority and Western academic contexts. The journal also engages with methodological innovations at the frontier of the field: computational approaches to tafsir, corpus linguistics applied to Qur'anic and Hadith texts, digital authentication of hadith chains (isnad), and the epistemological questions raised by algorithmically-assisted Qur'anic analysis.
  4. Islamic Law (Shariah): This domain encompasses classical jurisprudential principles and their contemporary applications across a broad range of legal fields, Islamic family law, criminal law, financial contracts, and compliance, as well as comparative Shariah studies and the engagement between Islamic law, human rights, environmental ethics, and modern regulatory systems. Suhuf is particularly interested in scholarly analysis of how Islamic legal frameworks address emerging technological realities: fatwa on artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, Shariah governance of data privacy, bioethical questions raised by medical AI, and the fiqh of algorithmic decision-making in judicial and financial contexts.
  5. Islam in Indonesia: Suhuf offers a dedicated space for nuanced, empirically grounded research on Indonesian Islam in its historical, socio-legal, and intellectual dimensions. This includes the roles of Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, and local ulama networks in shaping religious authority, law, and public life. The journal also engages with contemporary developments: how Indonesian Islamic institutions respond to digital media ecosystems, the role of algorithmic platforms in shaping religious discourse, and Indonesia's distinctive contributions to global conversations on Islam and modernity.

Suhuf does not merely publish descriptive accounts; it prioritizes theoretically informed, methodologically robust research that engages with primary Islamic sources (Qur’an, Sunnah, fiqh, and classical texts) while addressing pressing contemporary issues—from fintech in Islamic banking to bioethics in Islamic law, from digital tafsir to interfaith coexistence in pluralistic societies.

In addition to full-length research articles, the journal features synopses of outstanding theses and dissertations, critical summaries of recent religious research, and keynote addresses by leading scholars, making it a dynamic forum for both established and emerging voices in Islamic academia.

By bridging classical Islamic scholarship with modern academic rigor—and by centering Indonesia as both a case study and a source of intellectual innovation—Suhuf serves as a vital platform for specialized, context-sensitive, and globally relevant Islamic studies.