<![CDATA[The persistent gap between the normative principles of ijārah and its implementation in Islamic banking is commonly framed as a problem of Sharia compliance, yet the institutional mechanisms sustaining this divergence remain underexplored. This conceptual study explains why ijārah practices continue to depart from normative expectations by applying Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice. Using an analytical review, the study integrates fiqh-based critiques, Islamic banking literature, DSN-MUI provisions, and illustrative empirical observations from Bank Muamalat Indonesia and Bank Syariah Indonesia. The analysis identifies three relational mechanisms underlying the theory–practice gap. First, the field of financial competition pressures Islamic banks to prioritise profitability, product diversity, and stakeholder expectations. Second, organisational habitus reproduces cognitive and operational schemas inherited partly from conventional leasing practices, encouraging adaptation rather than strict replication of classical ijārah. Third, capital constraints arise because Islamic banks operate as financial intermediaries rather than real-sector service or asset providers, generating structural dependence on third parties. The study therefore argues that the ijārah gap is systemic rather than merely incidental or attributable to individual non-compliance. Its originality lies in reframing ijārah implementation through a Bourdieusian institutional-relational lens, offering a theoretical framework for understanding persistent tensions between Sharia principles, banking structures, and market imperatives.]]>
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