Contract Law in the Waqf Land Transfer Practice

This study examines the legal implications of applying the valid agreement requirements under Article 1320 of the Indonesian Civil Code to waqf land transfers, addressing the governance gap between Islamic jurisprudence and Indonesian positive law. Employing empirical legal research with statutory and comparative approaches, the study analyzed fifteen cases in Semarang City through semi-structured interviews with nādhir, wāqif, waqf foundation administrators, and members of the Indonesian Waqf Board (BWI) conducted between August and November 2025. Findings reveal that none of the examined transfers met the full legal requirements: all lacked valid Waqf Pledge Deeds, nādhir registration was deficient, and the transfers were conducted outside the formal waqf regime. Applying Article 1320's framework, transfers violating subjective conditions (consent and capacity) render agreements voidable, while violations of objective conditions (object and lawful cause) render them void ab initio. From the maqāṣid al-sharī’a perspective, such transfers fail the test of maṣlaḥa mu'tabara and undermine hifẓ al-māl. These findings imply an urgent need for nādhir professionalization, enhanced BWI supervision, mandatory waqf certification, and integration of maqāṣid principles with civil law governance frameworks

Civil code · Corporate governance · Indonesian · Islam · Jurisprudence · Pledge · Sharia · Statutory law · Waqf · Islamic Finance and Banking Studies · Linguistic, Cultural, and Literary Studies · Marriage and Family Dynamics