Vol. 15 No. 01 (2026): September 2026

This article presents the results of a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to analyze the development, design, challenges, and opportunities of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) products based on Sharia principles as an alternative digital financing instrument within the e-commerce ecosystem. This study aims to explore the conceptual framework of Sharia-compliant BNPL, assess its alignment with Islamic legal contracts (akad), and examine its potential role in promoting ethical and inclusive digital financial services. This research employs a qualitative SLR approach by reviewing scholarly publications from 2020 to 2025, sourced from reputable databases such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. Using the PRISMA protocol, a total of N = 32 relevant articles were systematically selected and analyzed, indicating a rapid increase in academic interest in BNPL and Islamic fintech, particularly after 2021 in line with the acceleration of digital commerce. The key findings reveal that the development of Sharia-compliant BNPL primarily revolves around hybrid contract structures, such as murābaḥah, qard, and wakālah bil ujrah, which must be carefully structured to avoid elements of ribā, gharar, and prohibited multi-contract arrangements (ta’alluq). The study also finds that while BNPL offers significant potential in enhancing financial inclusion and consumer access in e-commerce, its current implementations often raise concerns regarding Sharia compliance, particularly in pricing transparency, penalty mechanisms, and behavioral manipulation through algorithmic systems. Moreover, the study identifies critical challenges, including regulatory gaps, the tension between business scalability and Sharia compliance, limited standardization of contract structures, and low levels of Islamic financial literacy among users. The integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence in BNPL systems further complicates ethical considerations, as it may influence consumer decision-making in ways that conflict with the principles of fairness and transparency in Islamic finance. The main contribution of this study lies in emphasizing that the development of BNPL Sharia products requires a holistic and integrative approach grounded in maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah, ensuring that digital financing innovations not only comply with formal legal requirements but also uphold ethical values, promote justice, and prevent consumer exploitation within the rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape.