Digital Hisbah: A Governance Framework for the Digital Economy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53840/jmm.v16i1.313Keywords:
Digital Hisbah, Islamic Governance, Content Moderation, Maqasid al-Shari'ah, Consumer ProtectionAbstract
The expansion of the digital economy has introduced significant governance challenges. These challenges include fraud, misinformation, and the erosion of privacy. This study proposes the classical Islamic institution of al-hisbah as a relevant ethical and institutional framework for contemporary digital supervision. This study employed a qualitative analytical methodology. It begins with a jurisprudential analysis of classical Islamic legal texts on al-hisbah. Next, functional mapping is used to adapt the institution's core principles to the modern digital environment. This study proposes a tripartite governance model for digital hisbah. This model advocates collaboration among the state, private sector, and civil society. This structure creates essential checks and balances in the system. It helps mitigate risks such as state censorship or corporate capture. The proposed framework aims to regulate digital commerce, prevent fraud and counter false information, while protecting user rights. The study concludes that a reinterpreted al-hisbah, grounded in the higher objectives of Shari'ah (maqasid al-shari'ah), provides a structured solution for the ethical governance of digital technology. The tripartite approach is central to ensuring transparent and accountable implementation.
Downloads
References
Ahyani, H., Lousada, S. A. N., Sartono, S., Kotyazhov, A., & Huda, M. (2025). Protecting Yourself from Online Fraud and Hacking: An Islamic Perspective. Abdurrauf Journal of Islamic Studies, 4(1), 46–65. https://doi.org/10.58824/arjis.v4i1.277
Akpobome, O. (2024). The Impact of Emerging Technologies on Legal Frameworks: A Model for Adaptive Regulation. International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, 5(10), 5046–5060. https://doi.org/10.55248/gengpi.5.1024.3012
Aldaas, R., Mohamed, R., Hareeza, M., & Ismail, N. (2022). Entrepreneurial Leadership and SMEs’ Performance: The Antecedent Role of Digital Transformation Readiness. Journal of Management & Muamalah, 12(2), 102–125. https://jmm.uis.edu.my/index.php/jurnal/article/view/114
Al-Hamdany, A., & Fadhil Mahmood, A. (2023). Fintech innovations, scope, challenges and implications in Islamic Finance: A systematic analysis. International Journal of Computing and Digital Systems, 13(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.12785/ijcds/130147
Ali, M. H., Chung, L., Kumar, A., Zailani, S., & Tan, K. H. (2021). A sustainable Blockchain framework for the halal food supply chain: Lessons from Malaysia. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 170, 120870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120870
Al-Mawardi, A.-B. (1960). Al-Ahkam as-Sultaniyyah: The Laws of Islamic Governance (Asadullah Yate, Trans.). Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd.
Alnuaimi, A. J., & Azzi, A. (2022). Islamic Ethics and Social Media Use: A Study in Theory & Practice. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(3), 6698–6710. https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/3921
Altair, Y. (2025). The Concept of Al-Hisbah in Upholding Public Morals: Historical Foundations and Contemporary Applications in Modern Society. SYARIAT: Akhwal Syaksiyah, Jinayah, Siyasah and Muamalah, 2(2), 75–82. https://centerpub.ristek.or.id/index.php/Syariat/article/view/104
Anwary, I. (2023). Exploring the Interconnectedness Between Public Administration, Legislative Systems and Criminal Justice: A Comparative Analysis of Malaysia and Indonesia. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, 18(1). https://ijcjs.com/menu-script/index.php/ijcjs/article/view/616
Auda, J. (2008). Maqasid al-shariah as philosophy of Islamic law: a systems approach. International Institute of Islamic Thought. https://iiit.org/wp-content/uploads/Maqasid-Al-Shariah-as-a-Philosophy-of-Islamic-Law-Combined.pdf
Buckley, R. P. (1992). The Muhtasib. Arabica, 39(1), 59–117. https://doi.org/10.1163/157005892X00292
Caniago, M. A. I., Shabur, U., & Satibi, I. (2024). The Politics of Public Finance Al-Mawardi’s Perspective: Al-Ahkam as Sulthaniyah. El-Jizya: Jurnal Ekonomi Islam, 12(1), 101–114. https://doi.org/10.24090/ej.v12i1.9711
Cook, M. (2001). Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong in Islamic Thought. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511497452
Ezzerouali, S. (2025). Expanding the Authority of Muhtasib to Protect Consumers: A Comparison between Moroccan Law and Islamic Qanun of Aceh. Trunojoyo Law Review, 7(2), 161–191. https://doi.org/10.21107/tlr.v7i2.29151
Fanani, A., & Takayasa, T. I. (2022). Hisbah in Public Moral and Marketplace Control: From Historical to Indonesian contexts. HIKMATUNA: Journal for Integrative Islamic Studies, 8(1), 40–54. https://doi.org/10.28918/hikmatuna.v8i1.4666
Fikri, M., Abbas, Muchtar, M. I., Darlius, & Al-Amin, D. (2024). Emergence of Digital Matrimony: Exploring Islamic Legal Responses to Metaverse Marriages. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, 14(2), 246–262. https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.142.15
Fletcher, A., Crawford, G. S., Crémer, J., Dinielli, D., Heidhues, P., Luca, M., Salz, T., Schnitzer, M., Scott Morton, F. M., Seim, K., & Sinkinson, M. (2023). Consumer protection for online markets and large digital platforms. Yale Journal on Regulation, 40, 875–914. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13051/18328
Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, Content Moderation and the Hidden Decisions That Shape Social Media. Yale University Press.
Habib, Z. (2025). Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Maqāṣid Al-Sharīa’s Perspective. KARSA Journal of Social and Islamic Culture, 33(1), 105–134. https://doi.org/10.19105/karsa.v33i1.19617
Harizan, S. H. M., & Mydin, S. A. H. (2024). Tabayyun measures for self-regulating social media behaviour among Muslim consumers. In J. Fraedrich, M. Pirtskalava, T. Khoshtaria, H. Terzi, M. Bayirli, & B. Al Serhan (Eds.), Contemporary business research in the Islamic world (pp. 385–402). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-5400-7_21
Hasan, R., Hassan, M. K., & Aliyu, S. (2020). Fintech and Islamic Finance: Literature Review and Research Agenda. International Journal of Islamic Economics and Finance, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.18196/ijief.2122
Ibn al-al-Ukhūwah, M. (1938). Ma’alim al-Qurba fi Ahkam al-Hisba. Cambridge University Press.
Ibn Taymiyyah, A. (1982). Al-Hisbah fi al-Islam. Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah.
Inayah, J. N., & Nugroho, T. (2024). Criminal Implementation of Cyberbullying Based on Electronic Information and Transaction Law and Islamic Law. Jurnal USM Law Review, 7(1), 252–268. https://doi.org/10.26623/julr.v7i1.8665
Kismawadi, E. R. (2025). Artificial intelligence in Islamic finance: Revolutionizing risk management, auditing, and Shariah compliance. In F. Ghosn, G. Awad, & K. Darwich (Eds.), AI's transformative impact on finance, auditing, and investment (pp. 101–122). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-0129-7.ch004
Klonick, K. (2017). The New Governors: The People, Rules and Process Governing Online Speech. Harvard Law Review, 131, 1598–1672. https://harvardlawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1598-1670_Online.pdf
Muhamad, M., Ishak, A. H., & Tengku Zawawi, T. N. S. (2019). Hisbah and quality assurance: Learning from Islamic golden age heritage. Online Journal Research of Islamic Studies, 6(Special Issue), 25–36.
Noble, S. U. (2018). Algorithms of Oppression. NYU Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1pwt9w5
Nurhidayah, S., Tahir, M., Fuad, M., Sawari, M., & Zakaria, M. S. (2025). Digital Assets from an Islamic Jurisprudential Perspective. Journal of Management and Muamalah, 15(1), 68–85. https://doi.org/10.53840/jmm.v15i1.214
Shodiqoh, R. (2024). Digital Ethics: Social Media Ethics in a Contemporary Islamic Perspective. Solo International Collaboration and Publication of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(3), 215–226. https://doi.org/10.61455/sicopus.v2i03.153
Siswadi, Y., & Soemitra, A. (2022). Literature Study on Fiqh Muamalah Digital Business Transactions (e-commerce). Social Science, Entrepreneurship and Technology, 1(3), 220–236. https://doi.org/10.55983/ijeset.v1i3.208
Stilt, K., & Saraçoğlu, M. S. (2018). Hisba and Muhtasib. In A. M. Emon & R. Ahmed (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Law (pp. 326–356). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199679010.013.9
Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. PublicAffairs.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Management and Muamalah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
