Gharar in Shafi'i Jurisprudence: Reassessing Its Validity in E-Commerce Transactions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21111/aliktisab.v9i2.14583Keywords:
Gharar, Shafi'i Jurisprudence, E-Commerce, Islamic Economic Law, Digital TransactionsAbstract
The widespread adoption of e-commerce among Muslim consumers presents significant legal challenges, particularly concerning the validity of digital transactions under Shafi’i jurisprudence, which emphasizes contractual clarity and certainty. This research addresses these challenges by reassessing the concept of gharar within the Shafi’i school in modern digital commerce. It sets out three objectives, to examine classical definitions and legal thresholds of gharar according to Shafi’i scholars, identify manifestations of uncertainty in current e-commerce practices, and evaluate the extent to which reinterpretation is possible while maintaining doctrinal consistency. Using a normative juridical method and content analysis of classical texts such as Mukhtashar Al-Umm and Al-Majmu’, as well as contemporary scholarship, this research finds that most digital transaction uncertainties qualify as gharar yasir (minor uncertainty) and therefore do not invalidate contracts. These findings underscore that consumer consent, established commercial customs (‘urf), and platform safeguards (such as refund policies and transparency features) effectively reduce legal ambiguity. The research further confirms that the Shafi’i framework possesses sufficient flexibility, through legal maxims (qawaid fiqhiyyah) and considerations of public interest (maslahah), to accommodate evolving transaction models without compromising its core principles. Thus, this research affirms the ongoing relevance of Shafi’i jurisprudence in regulating the ethical and legal dimensions of e-commerce.References
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