Digital Assets in Indonesian Islamic Family Law: The Legal Status of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and Metaverse Virtual Land as Inheritable Property
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55681/seikat.v5i4.3825Keywords:
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), Metaverse Virtual Land, Islamic Inheritance Law, Digital Estate Planning, Digital Assets, Indonesian Islamic Family LawAbstract
The rapid development of blockchain technology has introduced new forms of digital assets, including Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and metaverse virtual land, creating legal uncertainty regarding their status as inheritable property under Indonesian Islamic Family Law. This study examines the legal status of these digital assets as inheritance objects, analyzes their distribution based on fiqh al-mawārīth and Indonesian positive law, and proposes a legal framework to strengthen legal certainty in digital inheritance. This research employs a normative legal method using statutory, conceptual, and Islamic jurisprudential approaches. Legal materials were analyzed through descriptive and deductive legal reasoning. The findings demonstrate that NFTs and metaverse virtual land satisfy the Islamic legal characteristics of māl because they possess lawful ownership, measurable economic value, legal control, and transferability, thereby qualifying as al-tirkah (inheritance estate). Their distribution should follow the principles of fiqh al-mawārīth while accommodating the technical characteristics of blockchain-based assets, particularly digital wallets and private-key access. The study also identifies a regulatory gap in Indonesian positive law concerning digital asset inheritance. Unlike previous studies that primarily discuss digital assets from commercial or general legal perspectives, this research develops an integrated framework combining Islamic inheritance law, Indonesian positive law, and digital estate planning to strengthen legal certainty, protect heirs' rights, and contribute to the development of Islamic Family Law in the digital era.
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