Al-Aqad was originally a journal managed by the Sharia Economic Law Study Program at the Faculty of Sharia, Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Pontianak to facilitate students in publishing articles since 2021. The publication of the articles was a response to the dean's policy which stipulated that a student's Certificate of Graduation (SKL) required the publication of thesis conversion results in a journal. Therefore, in the first few years, Al-Aqad published many articles from students of the Faculty of Sharia at IAIN Pontianak while not excluding articles from outside the campus. The Dean's policy followed by the birth of Al-Aqad was driven by the academic spirit of promoting the tradition of scientific work and disseminating it to the wider community. It was considered his academic responsibility.

In its development, Al-Aqad was then managed by IAIN Pontianak's journal house to be developed into a journal that not only serves its students but also the academic community outside its campus. To that end, Al-Aqad's governance continues to be developed to produce quality articles. The scope of its knowledge remains unchanged, which is to publish scientific works in the field of Sharia Economic Law, ranging from classical to contemporary studies that combine Sharia studies with positive law. Al-Aqad is interested in studies that are developed in the context of Borneo culture, which is one of IAIN Pontianak's visions.