This study explores the Salafi-Wahabi movement's typology of hadith understanding and its consequences for Islamic law. This qualitative study employs the identity politics theory and the hadith understanding theory. Identity politics is utilized to assess the Salafi movement, and the concept of hadith understanding is used to examine different understandings of hadith.
This study found that Salafi developed as a response to the behavior of bid’ah (innovation in religion), currents of syncretism, pluralism, liberalism, and the legitimating influence of Shia. The Salafi believes that Islamic organizations in Indonesia have failed to respond and have even been dissolved by the current situation, leading Muslims to stray away from hadith. Their identity politics
is defined through numerous projects, including returning to Quran and sunnah slogans, putting on robes (long garments for both men and women), beards, and kuniyah. This is a way for them to justify their existence to oppose
conventional identities. This study contends that the Salafi group's textual understanding of hadith promotes rigid Islamic law, which leads to societal conflict. As a result, the government and religious institutions should work
together to develop Washatiyah Islam as a counter-ideology and discourse.