Perceptions and Meaning-Making of ‘Shariah Security’ Among Muslim Digital Natives in the Use of Blockchain-Based Financial Platforms
Article Integrity
Article Metrics
213
Article Views
146
PDF Downloads
0
Crossref Citations
Abstract
This study explores how Muslim digital natives perceive and construct the meaning of Shariah security in their engagement with blockchain-based financial platforms. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), data were gathered through in-depth interviews and digital artifacts from 20 participants actively using decentralized financial applications. Findings reveal that Shariah security is understood as a multidimensional construct integrating spiritual–moral assurance, ethical–procedural integrity, and technical–operational protection. Trust in blockchain emerged as a negotiated outcome shaped by religious identity, technological literacy, and community-mediated discourse. Participants’ engagement with blockchain was closely tied to processes of techno-religious identity construction, while social media functioned as a primary epistemic environment shaping perceptions of Shariah compliance. Emotional responses, such as reassurance, anxiety, and empowerment, further influenced security judgments. The study contributes a user-centered framework for understanding Shariah-oriented meaning-making in digital finance and offers implications for designing culturally aligned fintech ecosystems.
References
1
Alamsyah, G. N. W. Kusuma, and D. P. Ramadhani, "A review on decentralized finance ecosystems," Future Internet, vol. 16, no. 3, p. 76, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi16030076
2
P. A. Bongini, F. Mattassoglio, A. Pedrazzoli, and S. Vismara, "Crypto ecosystem: navigating the past, present, and future of decentralized finance," J. Technol. Transf., vol. 50, no. 5, pp. 2054-2075, Oct. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-025-10186-x
3
Parhi, "Blockchain in finance: Applications, platforms, and global trends in a decentralizing ecosystem," Platf. Glob. Trends Decentralizing Ecosyst., June 06 2025, Accessed: Dec. 08, 2025. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5559438
4
M. M. Akhlaq, H. A. Jahangir, and M. W. Jamil, "Islamic Finance And Digital Currencies: Shariah Perspectives On Cryptocurrency And Blockchain Technology," Al-Aasar, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 789-797, 2025.
5
F. H. L. Chong, "Enhancing trust through digital Islamic finance and blockchain technology," Qual. Res. Financ. Mark., vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 328-341, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRFM-05-2020-0076
6
L. Reid, D. Button, and M. Brommeyer, "Challenging the myth of the digital native: A narrative review," Nurs. Rep., vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 573-600, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep13020052
7
E. Koroleva, "Attitude Towards Using Fintech Services: Digital Immigrants Versus Digital Natives," Int. J. Innov. Technol. Manag., vol. 19, no. 08, p. 2250029, Dec. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219877022500298
8
S. Jameel and D. C. Clary, Disruptive Technologies and Muslim Societies: From AI and Education to Food and Fintech. WORLD SCIENTIFIC (EUROPE), 2025. https://doi.org/10.1142/q0481
9
S. Inam Ul Mansoor, "Islamic Law in the Age of Blockchain: Exploring Shari'ah Compliant Cryptocurrencies and Digital Assets," Islam. Law Age Blockchain Explor. Shari'ah Compliant Cryptocurrencies Digit. Assets, May 19 2025, Accessed: Dec. 08, 2025. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5340253
10
M. Hilowle, W. Yeoh, M. Grobler, G. Pye, and F. Jiang, "Users' Adoption of National Digital Identity Systems: Human-Centric Cybersecurity Review," J. Comput. Inf. Syst., vol. 63, no. 5, pp. 1264-1279, Sept. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2022.2140089
11
T. Papaioannou, A. Tsohou, and M. Karyda, "Forming digital identities in social networks: the role of privacy concerns and self-esteem," Inf. Comput. Secur., vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 240-262, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICS-01-2020-0003
12
G. André, "Youth, technologies and becomings. Rethinking digital literacies through relational ontologies," 2024, Accessed: Dec. 08, 2025. https://summit.sfu.ca/item/38120
13
D. Chasokela, "Qualitative Methodologies to Understanding Research," in Qualitative Approaches to Pedagogical Engineering, IGI Global, 2025, pp. 321-340. Accessed: Dec. 08, 2025. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/qualitative-methodologies-to-understanding-research/360841
14
M. N. M. Salleh, S. Alwi, H. Rosnan, and N. A. Wahab, "Exploring the impact of FinTech on sustainable development in Malaysia: an interpretative phenomenological analysis," Discov. Sustain., vol. 6, no. 1, p. 373, May 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01205-w
15
H. Abdullah, N. H. Mohammed Foziah, M. K. Shahid, N. F. Mohd Fadhil, A. H. Ngah, and A. M. Abdullah, "Faith and sustainability: developing Maqasid Shariah-based elderly care organization empowerment index," Qual. Ageing Older Adults, 2025, Accessed: Dec. 08, 2025. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/QAOA-02-2025-0018/full/html
16
Y. Sun and D. D. Suthers, "From affordances to cultural affordances: An analytic framework for tracing the dynamic interaction among technology, people and culture," Cult. Sci., vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 235-249, June 2023. https://doi.org/10.1177/20966083231176863
17
Z. Shao, J. Zhang, L. Zhang, and J. Benitez, "Uncovering post-adoption usage of AI-based voice assistants: a technology affordance lens using a mixed-methods approach," Eur. J. Inf. Syst., vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 475-501, May 2025. https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2024.2363322
18
W. Deng, T. Huang, and H. Wang, "A review of the key technology in a blockchain building decentralized trust platform," Mathematics, vol. 11, no. 1, p. 101, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/math11010101
19
Y. Liu, J. Wang, Z. Yan, Z. Wan, and R. Jäntti, "A survey on blockchain-based trust management for Internet of Things," IEEE Internet Things J., vol. 10, no. 7, pp. 5898-5922, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1109/JIOT.2023.3237893
20
T. M. Tan and S. Saraniemi, "Trust in blockchain-enabled exchanges: Future directions in blockchain marketing," J. Acad. Mark. Sci., vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 914-939, July 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-022-00889-0
21
M. S. Khan, M. R. Rabbani, I. T. Hawaldar, and A. Bashar, "Determinants of behavioral intentions to use Islamic financial technology: An empirical assessment," Risks, vol. 10, no. 6, p. 114, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/risks10060114
22
R. Salam-Salmaoui, S. Hassan, and S. Salam, "Virtual Madrasas: Digital Governmentality and the Shaping of Islamic Subjectivity in Pakistan," J. Media Relig., vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 49-71, Apr. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348423.2025.2468455
23
M. Alsaghir, "Digital risks and Islamic FinTech: a road map to social justice and financial inclusion," J. Islam. Account. Bus. Res., 2023, Accessed: Dec. 08, 2025. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JIABR-10-2022-0262/full/html
24
G. Evolvi, "Religion and the internet: digital religion, (hyper)mediated spaces, and materiality," Z. Für Relig. Ges. Polit., vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 9-25, May 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41682-021-00087-9
25
P. G. Gomes, "Media Processes: transformations of religious discourse in the context of algorithmization," Platf. Algorithms AI Issues Hypotheses Mediat. Perspect., vol. 1, p. 155, 2024.
26
L. Harrison, "Personal Attributes of Micro-Influencers," in Unpacking Micro-Influence within the Australian Creative Sectors, Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore, 2024, pp. 95-121. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-5914-9_5
27
M. Andok, "The impact of online media on religious authority," Religions, vol. 15, no. 9, p. 1103, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091103
28
R. Szatmary, "Trust and Security: How Trust in Autonomous Systems Shapes Decision-Making," in The Impact of the Energy Dependency on Critical Infrastructure Protection, T. A. Kovács, R. G. Stadler, and N. Daruka, Eds., in Advanced Sciences and Technologies for Security Applications, Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2025, pp. 685-703. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-78544-3_55
29
Q. N. Ahmed, A. R. Aleemi, A. H. Samo, and M. A. Shah, "From faith to action: a perceptual assessment of social commitments of Islamic finance," J. Islam. Account. Bus. Res., 2024, Accessed: Dec. 08, 2025. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JIABR-09-2023-0299/full/html
30
P. Schueffel and D. Stuessi, "Beyond Traditions: Swiss Banking's Journey into Digital Assets and Blockchain," FinTech, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 18, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/fintech4020018
31
E. Aslan, "New Religiosity of Muslim Pupils in the Age of Digitalization: Rethinking in the Light of Empirical Studies," in Islamic Religious Education in the Current Discourse, Ş. Yağdı, Ed., in Wiener Beiträge zur Islamforschung, Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, 2024, pp. 153-180. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-45791-4_9
Author Biographies
Muhammad Iqbal
Faculty of Economics and Islamic Business
Izra Berakon
Department of Islamic Economics and Finance
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Iqbal, Izra Berakon
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Article Tools
Citation Impact
Crossref Cited-by
0
citations
Counted from citation links between Crossref-registered works.
Last checked 12 Sep 2026.How to Cite
Iqbal, M., & Berakon, I. (2025). Perceptions and Meaning-Making of ‘Shariah Security’ Among Muslim Digital Natives in the Use of Blockchain-Based Financial Platforms. Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and Future Research, 1(2), 144–158. https://doi.org/10.70211/bafr.v1i2.343