The rapid emergence of the metaverse marks a fundamental shift in how markets operate, how consumers engage with brands, how financial services are delivered and how governance is exercised across digital ecosystems. Immersive technologies, virtual reality, blockchain, artificial intelligence and Web3 platforms are blurring the boundaries between physical and digital economies, creating new modes of value creation and exchange. For Islamic markets, this transformation presents unprecedented opportunities alongside complex ethical, regulatory and jurisprudential challenges. Questions of halal authenticity, Shariah compliance, consumer trust, zakat governance, financial transparency and social inclusion become significantly more complex as economic activity migrates into virtual, algorithmically mediated environments.This Special Issue of the Journal of Islamic Marketing, titled “Islam and the Metaverse,” brings together 17 rigorously reviewed articles that collectively examine how Islamic principles intersect with immersive digital economies across marketing, consumer behavior, fintech, governance, auditing, social finance, leadership and investment dynamics. The contributions apply diverse methodological approaches, including conceptual modeling, survey-based structural equation modeling, machine learning analytics, panel econometrics and jurisprudential analysis. Together, they demonstrate that Islamic values are not obstacles to digital innovation; rather, they offer an ethical architecture capable of guiding sustainable, trustworthy and socially responsible virtual markets.Five interrelated themes structure the issue: halal marketing ecosystems and digital services; technology adoption and trust formation; Islamic finance architecture and governance; social finance and blockchain innovation; and organizational capability and market stability.Several contributions establish the conceptual foundations for halal market design in immersive environments. Halal Servicescape in the Metaverse (Noor et al., 2025) advances a servicescape framework that integrates Islamic ethical values into sensory design, interaction quality and trust signaling within virtual environments. The study reframes the metaverse as a morally embedded service ecosystem rather than a neutral technological platform, offering guidance for halal tourism, hospitality and experiential branding.Halal B2B Marketing in the Metaverse (Hindolia et al., 2025) extends this logic into interorganizational markets by proposing a conceptual framework that maps stakeholders, opportunities and compliance risks in virtual halal ecosystems. The authors highlight immersive trade fairs, global buyer–seller engagement and innovative branding opportunities, while acknowledging regulatory fragmentation, technological disparities and cultural sensitivities as critical constraints.Metaverse Integration in Halal Marketing: Promoting Ethical Consumption (Sugiana et al., 2025) empirically demonstrates how immersive environments strengthen consumer engagement, emotional attachment and ethical awareness, reinforcing sustainable consumption behavior. The study shows that virtual environments can communicate halal integrity and production transparency more effectively than conventional media.The Effects of Competitive Intelligence and Halal Integrity on Halalan Tayyiban Strategy in MSMEs (Susiang et al., 2025) examines how competitive intelligence and halal integrity interact through halal orientation strategies to strengthen Halalan Tayyiban implementation among small and medium enterprises. Although not explicitly metaverse-centered, the findings are highly relevant for digital platform competition, data-driven strategy formulation and scalable halal governance in virtual marketplaces.Together, these papers establish the institutional and strategic foundations for halal branding, ethical consumption and the development of a B2B ecosystem in immersive digital economies.Behavioral acceptance remains a critical determinant of successful digital transformation. Faith in Metaverse: Understanding Adoption among Muslim Students (Azhar et al., 2025) integrates religiosity, perceived cyber risk, trust, enjoyment and innovativeness into an extended Technology Acceptance Model, demonstrating that religious values reshape adoption pathways rather than inhibit them.The Intention to Adopt Metaverse in Islamic Banks (Alshurafat et al., 2025) further advances this perspective by integrating TAM with the Religiosity Intention Model among Islamic banking professionals. The findings show that perceived usefulness and ease of use remain primary drivers of adoption, while religiosity acts as a contextual moderator shaping satisfaction and acceptance dynamics.Nurturing Trust in Islamic Banking within the Metaverse (Al-Afeef et al., 2025) deepens the trust dimension by examining how service quality, ethical transparency and relationship governance jointly reinforce customer confidence in virtual banking environments. The study highlights that immersive platforms amplify reputational risk and intensify governance expectations.Collectively, these studies demonstrate that technological adoption in Islamic contexts depends on balancing usability, ethical legitimacy and institutional trust rather than treating religiosity as a barrier to innovation.A substantial cluster of papers addresses institutional integrity, regulatory readiness and jurisprudential adaptation in virtual financial markets. Insights into Financial Reporting Practices in the Metaverse (Sanad, 2025) highlights readiness challenges related to digital asset valuation, reporting standards and regulatory ambiguity in Islamic institutions, emphasizing the need for clearer Shariah guidance and supervisory alignment.Navigating Financial Clarity: Internal Audit Outsourcing and Auditor Experience (Alqaraleh et al., 2025) shows that audit outsourcing, auditor expertise and self-efficacy significantly enhance the understandability of financial reporting, reinforcing transparency and investor protection in increasingly digitalized environments.Risk and Reward: Credit Risk, Governance and Financial Performance (Mohammad et al., 2025) demonstrates how corporate governance moderates the relationship between credit risk and performance in banking systems, reinforcing the importance of governance discipline as financial services migrate into technologically complex environments.External Sharia Audit and Islamic Banking Performance (Khelassi et al., 2025) provides empirical evidence that external Sharia audits enhance both financial performance and compliance, supporting regulatory standardization and institutional accountability in Islamic finance.Ijara of Specified Benefits and Forward Ijara in the Virtual Era (Musleh and Ahmad, 2025) contributes doctrinal clarity by affirming the permissibility of leasing benefits and services in digitally mediated contexts, offering jurisprudential foundations for structuring virtual financial contracts and service-based financing instruments.Metaverse finance: shaping the future of Islamic fintech solutions in UAE (Alkasasbeh et al., 2025) contributes to the discussion on the future of money within the context of Islamic principles. The study examines the complex relationship between financial development, technological advancements and the metaverse.Together, these studies reinforce the idea that digital finance’s legitimacy requires strong governance infrastructure, auditing capacity and jurisprudential clarity alongside technological innovation.Islamic social finance emerges as a pivotal frontier in digital transformation. Zakat in the Metaverse? Evidence from Cyberspace (Hudaefi, 2025) applies machine learning analytics to examine evolving discourse on virtual zakat practices, highlighting governance risks, digital inequality and jurisprudential ambiguity surrounding virtual assets and digital philanthropy.Intention to Adopt Blockchain Technology for Zakat Management in Indonesia (Juniati and Widiastuti, 2025) empirically analyzes institutional readiness and donor acceptance using the UTAUT framework. While blockchain improves transparency and accountability, organizational capacity constraints and regulatory preparedness remain limiting factors.Together, these papers highlight the transformative potential of digital infrastructure to improve zakat governance while emphasizing the importance of inclusivity, regulatory coordination and institutional capacity-building.The final theme addresses leadership capacity and systemic resilience. Entrepreneurial Leadership and Sustainable Innovation in Islamic Insurance (Alshurideh et al., 2025) demonstrates how entrepreneurial leadership strengthens innovation capability, competitive advantage and organizational sustainability, which are essential for navigating digital disruption.Quantifying Connectedness among Memecoin, Halal ETF and ESG Index (Tabassum et al., 2025) applies advanced econometric techniques to examine volatility transmission and diversification dynamics across digital and Shariah-compliant assets. The findings highlight both portfolio diversification opportunities and systemic risk implications for Islamic investors operating in hybrid digital markets.These studies emphasize that adaptive leadership, data-driven risk management and strategic resilience are necessary complements to technological adoption.This Special Issue offers one of the most comprehensive scholarly examinations of how Islamic marketing, finance and governance intersect with the emerging metaverse economy. Collectively, the contributions demonstrate that Islamic ethical principles can actively shape digital transformation by embedding trust, accountability, inclusivity and social responsibility into immersive market architectures.Several priorities emerge for future research and policy development. First, empirical validation of halal digital services capes across sectors such as tourism, education and healthcare remains necessary. Second, Shariah governance frameworks must evolve to address NFTs, tokenized assets, AI agents and digital identity management. Third, regulatory harmonization between Islamic standards bodies and digital economy regulators is essential to reduce fragmentation and compliance uncertainty. Fourth, deeper behavioral studies are required to understand trust formation, digital loyalty and intergenerational adoption dynamics. Fifth, the financial stability implications of Islamic digital assets and decentralized finance warrant systematic investigation. Sixth, digital inclusion risks and social equity challenges must be addressed to prevent technological marginalization within Muslim societies. Finally, institutional capacity-building in auditing, compliance and supervisory technology will determine the credibility of Islamic participation in virtual economies.As the metaverse transitions from experimentation toward institutionalization, Islamic scholarship has a critical opportunity to shape its normative architecture rather than merely react to technological disruption. This Special Issue provides an intellectual foundation for advancing responsible innovation, ethical governance and sustainable growth in the next generation of digital markets.
Al-Sartawi et al. (Tue,) studied this question.