Antara Maslahat dan Mafsadah: Analisis Fatwa Cryptocurrency di Indonesia dalam Kerangka Maqāṣid asy-Syarī‘ah Ibnu ‘Asyur

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the maslahah (benefit) and mafsadah (harm) of cryptocurrency based on the fatwas issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the Muhammadiyah Council of Religious Rulings (Majelis Tarjih), the East Java NU Legal Deliberation Institute (LBMNU Jawa Timur), and the Yogyakarta NU Legal Deliberation Institute (LBMNU DIY), employing Ibn ‘Āshūr’s maqāṣid asy-syarī‘ah as the analytical framework. This research adopts a qualitative library approach with a normative-analytical method, drawing on fatwa documents and relevant primary and secondary literature. The findings reveal that MUI, Muhammadiyah’s Majelis Tarjih, and LBMNU Jawa Timur unanimously prohibit cryptocurrency, as both a medium of exchange and an investment instrument citing elements of gharar, ḍarar, qimār, and maysir, along with its incompatibility with national monetary regulations. Conversely, LBMNU DIY permits its use on the grounds of demonstrated utility (muntafa‘), object clarity, and conformity with contemporary digital custom (‘urf). Applying Ibn ‘Āshūr’s maqāṣid asy-syarī‘ah, this study concludes that cryptocurrency poses a qat‘iyyah (definitive) mafsadah at the ḍarūriyyah level, particularly threatening ḥifẓ al-māl and socio-economic stability while its ḥājiyyah-level maslahah in the form of transactional efficiency remains ẓanniyyah (speculative) without adequate regulatory support. Thus, the maslahah-mafsadah assessment of cryptocurrency is inherently contextual and dynamic, contingent upon regulatory strength, social acceptance, and risk mitigation capacity within Indonesia’s digital economy ecosystem.