The Dynamics of Islamic Law in the Practice of Modern Religious Philanthropy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65586/insani.v1i2.41Keywords:
Beneficiaries, Legal competence, Modern religion, Philanthropy, Social justiceAbstract
In the vortex of digital modernity that has shifted Islamic philanthropy from communal worship to a global institutional instrument, the dynamics of Islamic law appear not as a frozen normative legacy, but as a philosophical arena where authority, social justice, and the meaning of piety are renegotiated amid the tug-of-war between text, maqāṣid, state, and market logic. This study aims to formulate conceptual and practical contributions to the development of Islamic philanthropy that is responsive to changing times while remaining grounded in sharia principles. It employs a qualitative approach with a multiple-case study design grounded in doctrinal analysis, seeking to map the dynamics of Islamic law in modern philanthropy through documented texts and practices. The results indicate that modern Islamic philanthropy can no longer be understood merely as the technical application of fiqh ʿibādah māliyyah, but has transformed into a strategic arena in which Islamic law is produced, contested, and fought over within power relations among scholars, the state, the market, and digital technology. This dynamic shows that philanthropic innovation is not only a matter of legal permissibility, but also of the direction of social justice one wishes to realise. The validity of innovation is not determined solely by textual conformity, but also by governance, transparency, platform design, and beneficiaries' experiences in interpreting justice and trust.
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