Conservatism on Islamic Legal Maxims: Judicial Interpretation of Polygamous Marriage at the Religious Courts of Mojokerto, Indonesia

This article explores religious judges’ interpretations of Islamic legal maxims through a content analysis of 30 verdicts that granted permission for husbands’ polygamous marriages issued by the Religious Court of Mojokerto in Indonesia from 2020 to 2022. Despite governmental efforts to restrict po...

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Main Authors: Mukhammad Nur Hadi, Latifatul Islamiyah, Cecep Soleh Kurniawan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Pontianak 2023-08-01
Series:Journal of Islamic Law
Subjects:
Online Access:https://e-journal.iainptk.ac.id/index.php/jil/article/view/1637
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author Mukhammad Nur Hadi
Latifatul Islamiyah
Cecep Soleh Kurniawan
author_facet Mukhammad Nur Hadi
Latifatul Islamiyah
Cecep Soleh Kurniawan
author_sort Mukhammad Nur Hadi
collection DOAJ
description This article explores religious judges’ interpretations of Islamic legal maxims through a content analysis of 30 verdicts that granted permission for husbands’ polygamous marriages issued by the Religious Court of Mojokerto in Indonesia from 2020 to 2022. Despite governmental efforts to restrict polygamous marriage practices due to potential negative consequences, religious judges often grant permission to husbands, considering a balance between maṣlaḥah (public good) and mafsadah (harm). Employing a normative-philosophical approach, this article identifies two recurring Islamic legal maxims consistently applied by judges: “dar’u al-mafāsid muqaddamun ‘alā jalb al-maṣāliḥ” and “idhā taʼārada mafṣadaṭānī rūʼiya aʼẓamuhumā ḍararan bi al-’irtikābi akhaffihimā.” However, their legal interpretations regarding maṣlaḥah and mafsadah reinforce the husband’s interest in the case of polygamous marriage. Thus, the authors argue that the interpretations of these legal maxims in practice reflect a conservative perspective that strengthens patriarchal hierarchies. These findings highlight that Islamic legal maxims as legal principles within Islam have not yet effectively functioned as an instrument of protection for vulnerable groups, especially women and children.
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issn 2721-5032
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language English
publishDate 2023-08-01
publisher Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Pontianak
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series Journal of Islamic Law
spelling doaj-art-6bc102871fe044ec82213d67366153e42025-08-20T03:07:40ZengInstitut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) PontianakJournal of Islamic Law2721-50322721-50402023-08-014210.24260/jil.v4i2.1637Conservatism on Islamic Legal Maxims: Judicial Interpretation of Polygamous Marriage at the Religious Courts of Mojokerto, IndonesiaMukhammad Nur Hadi0Latifatul Islamiyah1Cecep Soleh Kurniawan2Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel, Surabaya, IndonesiaUniversitas Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel, Surabaya, IndonesiaUniversiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali, Brunei Darussalam This article explores religious judges’ interpretations of Islamic legal maxims through a content analysis of 30 verdicts that granted permission for husbands’ polygamous marriages issued by the Religious Court of Mojokerto in Indonesia from 2020 to 2022. Despite governmental efforts to restrict polygamous marriage practices due to potential negative consequences, religious judges often grant permission to husbands, considering a balance between maṣlaḥah (public good) and mafsadah (harm). Employing a normative-philosophical approach, this article identifies two recurring Islamic legal maxims consistently applied by judges: “dar’u al-mafāsid muqaddamun ‘alā jalb al-maṣāliḥ” and “idhā taʼārada mafṣadaṭānī rūʼiya aʼẓamuhumā ḍararan bi al-’irtikābi akhaffihimā.” However, their legal interpretations regarding maṣlaḥah and mafsadah reinforce the husband’s interest in the case of polygamous marriage. Thus, the authors argue that the interpretations of these legal maxims in practice reflect a conservative perspective that strengthens patriarchal hierarchies. These findings highlight that Islamic legal maxims as legal principles within Islam have not yet effectively functioned as an instrument of protection for vulnerable groups, especially women and children. https://e-journal.iainptk.ac.id/index.php/jil/article/view/1637Legal InterpretationConservative InterpretationReligious CourtsIslamic Legal MaximsPolygamous Marriage
spellingShingle Mukhammad Nur Hadi
Latifatul Islamiyah
Cecep Soleh Kurniawan
Conservatism on Islamic Legal Maxims: Judicial Interpretation of Polygamous Marriage at the Religious Courts of Mojokerto, Indonesia
Journal of Islamic Law
Legal Interpretation
Conservative Interpretation
Religious Courts
Islamic Legal Maxims
Polygamous Marriage
title Conservatism on Islamic Legal Maxims: Judicial Interpretation of Polygamous Marriage at the Religious Courts of Mojokerto, Indonesia
title_full Conservatism on Islamic Legal Maxims: Judicial Interpretation of Polygamous Marriage at the Religious Courts of Mojokerto, Indonesia
title_fullStr Conservatism on Islamic Legal Maxims: Judicial Interpretation of Polygamous Marriage at the Religious Courts of Mojokerto, Indonesia
title_full_unstemmed Conservatism on Islamic Legal Maxims: Judicial Interpretation of Polygamous Marriage at the Religious Courts of Mojokerto, Indonesia
title_short Conservatism on Islamic Legal Maxims: Judicial Interpretation of Polygamous Marriage at the Religious Courts of Mojokerto, Indonesia
title_sort conservatism on islamic legal maxims judicial interpretation of polygamous marriage at the religious courts of mojokerto indonesia
topic Legal Interpretation
Conservative Interpretation
Religious Courts
Islamic Legal Maxims
Polygamous Marriage
url https://e-journal.iainptk.ac.id/index.php/jil/article/view/1637
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AT latifatulislamiyah conservatismonislamiclegalmaximsjudicialinterpretationofpolygamousmarriageatthereligiouscourtsofmojokertoindonesia
AT cecepsolehkurniawan conservatismonislamiclegalmaximsjudicialinterpretationofpolygamousmarriageatthereligiouscourtsofmojokertoindonesia