Likuid: Jurnal Ekonomi Industri Halal
Vol. 6 No. 2 (2026): LIKUID: Jurnal Ekonomi Industri Halal

Halal Labels as Symbolic Capital: A Philosophical Reconstruction and Analysis of Uṣūl Al-Fiqh

Reza Fauzi Nazar (UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung)
Moch Hoerul Gunawan (UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung)
Dudang Gojali (UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung)
Ichsan Budiman (University of Birmingham)



Article Info

Publish Date
01 Sep 2026

Abstract

The industrialization of halal certification following the enactment of Law No. 33 of 2014 has transformed the halal label from a marker of ḥukm sharʿī (religious-legal ruling) into a market instrument that accumulates economic, social, and reputational value. This article reinterprets the phenomenon through Pierre Bourdieu's framework of symbolic capital, while critically juxtaposing it with the uṣūl al-fiqh (Islamic legal theory) apparatus particularly maqāṣid al-sharīʿah (objectives of Sharīʿa), al-ʿurf (custom), and maṣlaḥah (public interest) to address how the halal label's transformation into symbolic capital occurred, and what ethical-legal consequences this holds for religious authorities. This research employs a qualitative hermeneutical-critical library approach with content analysis across three source layers: regulatory materials (the Halal Product Assurance Law, Ministry of Religious Affairs regulations, and MUI fatwas), market data (the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2022–2023), and classical (al-Ghazālī, 1992; al-Shāṭibī, 2006; Ibn ʿĀshūr, 2001) and contemporary (Bergeaud-Blackler, 2017; Bourdieu, 1986; Fischer, 2012) literature. Findings show three main things. First, the halal label shifted in function from ʿalāmat al-ḥukm (marker of legal ruling) to ʿalāmat al-sūq (marker of market value), converted into symbolic, social, and economic capital through a Bourdieu-style misrecognition mechanism. Second, this accumulation risks transforming the aims of ḥifẓ al-dīn (preservation of religion) and ḥifẓ al-māl (preservation of property) into tabdīl al-maqṣid (inversion of purpose) a reversal of Sharīʿa's objectives under the logic of capital accumulation. Third, uṣūl al-fiqh through al-ʿādah muḥakkamah (custom as legal precedent) and sadd al-dharīʿah (blocking harmful means) offers internal critical instruments for evaluating such commodification. The article ultimately proposes an ethical-substantive reconstruction of halal's meaning, grounding it in taqwā (God-consciousness) and iḥsān (moral excellence) rather than mere packaging logos.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

likuid

Publisher

Subject

Economics, Econometrics & Finance

Description

Likuid Jurnal Ekonomi Industri Halal (e) ISSN 2797-5967 merupakan jurnal berkala ilmiah yang diterbitkan oleh Program Studi Ekonomi Syariah UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, yang mengfokuskan pada kajian ekonomi syariah dengan varian turunannya. Industri halal merupakan salah satu turunan dari ekonomi ...