ISSN: 2226-3624
Open access
Intangible assets (IA) are becoming increasingly important as a source of financial value, especially for companies and developing countries. However, their acceptance in Islamic finance remains limited and many aspects have not yet been explored. This study aims to identify the areas of IA that have been examined from a Shariah perspective, those that remain underexplored, and the domains that deserve further attention. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted using the SALSA framework (Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, Analysis), while reporting followed the PRISMA guideline. Articles were retrieved from Scopus, Google Scholar, MyJurnal and several other databases, covering the period from 2000 to 2025. More than 100 articles were found, but only 25 met the inclusion criteria and were analysed thematically. The findings revealed four key themes: the conceptualisation and recognition of intellectual property as al-m?l; Islamic obligations concerning ownership boundaries and socio-ethical justice; financing issues, collateral (al-rahn), and modern Islamic financial instruments; and the use of intellectual property in socio-legal contexts such as inheritance and matrimonial property. The review concludes that clearer Shariah guidelines are required to support the recognition and use of IA in Islamic finance, which may reduce uncertainty, strengthen contemporary muamalat theory, and provide a foundation for further innovation.
Abu Bakar, M., Ramli, N. A., Zaghloul, S. G. G., Ahmed, A. R. M., Abous, M., & Md Thahir, M. F. (2021). Isu tuntutan harta intelek sebagai harta sepencarian: Analisis kritis dari perspektif Syariah dan undang-undang. Journal of Fatwa Management and Research, 24(2, Special Edition), 60–87. https://doi.org/10.33102/jfatwa.vol24no2.350
Al-Habshi, S. M., Syed Agil, S. K., & Ahmed, M. U. (2017). Financial reporting of intangible assets in Islamic finance. ISRA International Journal of Islamic Finance, 9(2), 190–195. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJIF-08-2017-0021
Al-Habshi, S. M., Syed Agil, S. K., & Ahmed, M. U. (2018). Financial reporting dimensions of intangibles in the context of Islamic finance. Al-Shajarah: Journal of the International Islamic University Malaysia, 23(Special Issue), 375–396.
Al-Zuhaily, W. (1989). Al-fiqh al-Islami wa adillatuhu (Vol. 4). Dar al-Fikr.
Aqbar, K., Herman, S., & Arsan. (2022). Tinjauan wakaf saham hak atas kekayaan intelektual dalam perspektif hukum Islam. Al-Khiyar: Jurnal Bidang Muamalah dan Ekonomi Islam, 2(1), 13–36. https://doi.org/10.36701/al-khiyar.v2i1.534
Asnita, D., Muthmainnah, Agustinar, & Muallimah, S. (2023). Hak penggunaan foto untuk keperluan perdagangan: Perspektif hukum Islam dan undang-undang hak cipta. Tadayun: Jurnal Hukum Ekonomi Syariah, 4(2), 125–144.
Azmi, I. M., & Engku Ali, E. R. A. (2007). Legal impediments to the collateralization of intellectual property in the Malaysian dual banking system. Asian Journal of Comparative Law, 2(1), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2194607800000089
Bank Negara Malaysia. (2019). Shariah governance policy document. Bank Negara Malaysia.
Bouheraoua, S., Mohamad, S., Kasri, N. S., & Abdullah, S. (2015). Shariah issues in intangible assets. Jurnal Syariah, 23(2), 287–324. https://doi.org/10.22452/js.vol23no2.5
Cholifah, U. (2016). Hak cipta dalam ekonomi Islam. El-Wasathiya: Jurnal Studi Agama, 4(1), 1–15.
Corrado, C., Hulten, C., & Sichel, D. (2009). Intangible capital and U.S. economic growth. Review of Income and Wealth, 55(3), 661–685.
Ebrahim, T. Y. (2024). Islamic intellectual property. Seton Hall Law Review, 54, 991–1068. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4811521
Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x
Haliza, A. S., Hasnizam, H., Intan Nadia, G. K., & Setiyawan, G. (2022). Relevansi subjek undang-undang harta intelek untuk pelajar program Sarjana Muda Fiqh dan Fatwa, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Syariah and Law (ICONSYAL 2022) (pp. 98–107).
International Accounting Standards Board. (2021). IAS 38: Intangible assets. IFRS Foundation.
Ibn Majah, M. Y. (1996). Sunan Ibn Majah bi sharh al-Sanadi (Vol. 3). Dar al-Ma‘rifah.
Khan, J. I., & Lone, N. A. (2013). Intellectual property rights in Islam: A perspective. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences, 3(1), 153–162.
Kitchenham, B., & Charters, S. (2007). Guidelines for performing systematic literature reviews in software engineering (EBSE Technical Report). Keele University.
Lev, B. (2001). Intangibles: Management, measurement, and reporting. Brookings Institution Press.
Mahdi, Z. H. (2023). Appropriate models for measuring intangible assets and their impact on the cash flows of the economic unit: An applied study on a sample of Iraqi Islamic banks. World Bulletin of Social Sciences, 19, 1–12.
Malkawi, B. H. (2013). The alliance between Islamic law and intellectual property: Structure and practice. University of St. Thomas Law Journal, 10(3), 618–649. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-64156-3
Mazlan, M. F., & Muda, M. Z. (2020). Tinjauan literatur kedudukan hak cipta sebagai harta sepencarian. BITARA International Journal of Civilizational Studies and Human Sciences, 3(2), 99–109.
Mohd Arif, M. I. A., & Hanapi, H. (2017). The concept of intellectual property as al-mal: An Islamic perspective approach. International Journal of Educational Best Practices, 1(1), 102–108.
Mohd Yazid, N. H., & Ahmad, M. Y. (2024). Status harta intelek sebagai harta pusaka menurut perspektif perundangan Islam di Malaysia: Satu kajian literatur [The status of intellectual property as inheritance under Islamic law in Malaysia: A literature review]. Journal of Contemporary Islamic Law, 9(1), 16–24. https://doi.org/10.26475/jcil.2024.9.1.03
Mohd Zain, N. I., & Abdullah, L. (2020). Hukum gadaian harta intelektual menurut perspektif fiqh. Jurnal KIAS, 13(1), 27–51. https://ejournals.kias.edu.my/index.php/jurnalkias/article/view/150
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & The PRISMA Group. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097
MyIPO. (2022). Annual Report 2022: Intellectual Property and Innovation. Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia.
Naim, N., & Kasri, N. S. (2025). Intellectual property and Islamic finance: Opportunities and challenges for a new Islamic intellectual property finance framework. Thunderbird International Business Review, 67, 395–412. https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.22430
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2019). Measuring knowledge-based capital: OECD Handbook. OECD Publishing.
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., et al. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Petticrew, M., & Roberts, H. (2006). Systematic reviews in the social sciences: A practical guide. Blackwell Publishing.
Quraisy, M. (2011). Hak kekayaan intelektual (HaKI) dalam perspektif hukum Islam. Jurnal Muqtasid, 2(1), 39–56.
Ratnawati, E. T. R., & Al-Farizi, R. S. (2023). Protection of intellectual property rights in the perspective of Islamic law. Millah: Journal of Religious Studies, 22(2), 377–408. https://doi.org/10.20885/millah.vol22.iss2.art4
Rizal, F. (2020). Nalar kritis pelanggaran hak cipta dalam Islam. Al-Manhaj: Jurnal Hukum dan Pranata Sosial Islam, 2(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.37680/almanhaj.v2i1.307
Securities Commission Malaysia. (2021). Resolution of the Shariah Advisory Council of the Securities Commission Malaysia. Securities Commission Malaysia.
Shukor, H. A., Hashim, H., Ghulam Khan, I. N., & Gunardi, S. (2021, April 6). Relevansi subjek Undang-Undang Harta Intelek untuk pelajar Program Sarjana Muda Fiqh dan Fatwa, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Syariah & Law (ICONSYAL 2021) (pp. 98–107). Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia.
Siddaway, A. P., Wood, A. M., & Hedges, L. V. (2019). How to do a systematic review: A best practice guide for conducting and reporting narrative reviews, meta-analyses, and meta-syntheses. Annual Review of Psychology, 70, 747–770.
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Zaydan, Abdul Karim. (1986). Al-Madkhal li Dirasat al-Shariah al-Islamiyyah. Maktabat al-Quds.
Rahman, A. B. A., & Sulong, J. Bin. (2025). Exploring the Significance of Intangible Assets in Islamic Finance: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences, 14(4), 264–278.
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode