Informal shariah pawnshop in the traditional markets of Surakarta

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore how informal pawnbrokers and informal pawners interpret the existence of the informal pawnshop in the traditional market in Surakarta, Indonesia, with the main focus to determine the applicability of informal pawnshop development model.

Design/methodology/approach

The research used the qualitative method with the phenomenological approach using interview method to fully comprehend the informants’ views regarding the informal pawnshop existence in traditional markets in Surakarta, Indonesia. The applicability of informal pawnshop development model is required for Muslim market vendors. Charitable institutions shall participate in the development of the model by empowering (zakat, infaq, shadaqah and waqf) funds to help Muslims vendors in the traditional markets for additional capital in accordance with Islamic laws for a pawnshop.

Findings

The result of the research shows that the existence of informal pawning in the traditional markets is difficult to avoid as both informal pawnbrokers and informal pawners need one another. Most vendors in the traditional markets are Muslims. Islam teaches that loan interest is categorized as forbidden riba. Meanwhile, in the informal pawning practices, the informal pawnbrokers charge loan interest to the informal pawners.

Originality/value

The objective of this study is to investigate to what extent the Islamic pawn shops motivated the people through interest-free system. However, in past, tradition markets facilitate the people, but they charged a huge against it with interest (riba).

Citation

Shabbir, M.S. (2020), "Informal shariah pawnshop in the traditional markets of Surakarta", Journal of Islamic Marketing, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 269-281. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-09-2017-0097