Conservatism on Islamic Legal Maxims: Judicial Interpretation of Polygamous Marriage at the Religious Courts of Mojokerto, Indonesia
Abstract
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.
References
Al-Ghāzīy, Muḥammad bin Aḥmad bin Muḥammad al-Burnū Abī al-Ḥarīṣ. Al-Wajīz fī Idhāḥ Qawā’id al-Fiqh al-Kulīyyah. Beirut: Mu’assasah al-Risālah, 1996.
Al-Salām, ‘Izz al-Dīn ‘Abd. Qawā’id al-Kubrā al-Mausūm bi Qawā’id al-Ahkām fī Islāḥi al-Anām. Damaskus: Dār al-Qalam, 2000.
Al-Shāṭibī. Al-Muwāfaqāt fī Uṣūl al-Sharī’ah. Edited by Muḥammad ‘Abd Allāh Darrāz. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah, 2003.
Al-Nadawī, Alī Aḥmad. Al-Qawā‘id al-Fiqhīyah: Mafhūmuha, Nashy’atuha, Tathawwuruha, Dirāstu Mu’allifātihā, Adillatuha, Muhimmātuhā, Tathbīquhā’. Damaskus: Dār al-Qalam, 1994.
Al-Subkī, Tāj al-Dīn Abādu al-Wahhāb bin ‘Alī bin ‘Abdu al-Kāfī. Al-Āshibah wa al-Naẓā’ir. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah, 1991.
Al-Qarāfī, Shihāb al-Dīn Abū al-’Abbas Aḥmad ibn Idrīs. Sharḥ Tanqīh al-Fuṣūl fī Ikhtisār al-Maḥṣūl fī al-Uṣūl. Edited by Tāha ‘Abd al-Rauf Sa’ad. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, 1973.
Al-Zarqā, Aḥmad bin Muḥammad. Sharḥ al-Qawā’id al-Fiqhiyyah. Beirut: Dār al-Qalam, 1989.
Anwar, Syamsul. “Teori Pertingkatan Norma dalam Usul Fikih.” Asy-Syir’ah 50, no. 1 (2016): 141–67.
‘Azzām, Abd al-’Azīz Muḥammad. Al-Qawā’id al-Fiqhīyah. Cairo: Dār al-Ḥadīth, 2005.
Badan Peradilan Mahkamah Agung. “Standar Format BAS dan Format Putusan Pengadilan Agama/Mahkamah Syari’iyah.” Accessed May 29, 2023. https://badilag.mahkamahagung.go.id/seputar-ditjen-badilag/seputar-ditjen-badilag/peradilan-agama-kini-punya-format-bas-dan-putusan-154.
Efendi, Johan. “Kedudukan Kaidah Fikih dalam Ijtihad dan Relevansi dengan Kompilasi Hukum Islam (KHI)” 10, no. 2 (n.d.): 59–88.
Fridayanto, Pradika Kusuma. “Implementasi Konsep Keadilan terhadap Izin Poligami Karena Suami Hypersex.” Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo Semarang, 2021.
Hadi, Mukhammad Nur. “Conservative Muslim on The Screen: The Narrative of Islamic Family Law in Indonesian Films” 18, no. 1 (2021): 133–45.
———. “Metode Ijtihad Kolektif Progresif di Indonesia sebagai Media Proyeksi Nalar Kemanusiaan.” Ma’mal 4, no. 2 (2023): 141–69.
Halim, Abdul. “Izin Poligami dalam Bingkai Maqashid Syariah dan Hukum Progresif.” Al-Mazaahib: Jurnal Perbandingan Hukum 8, no. 2 (2020): 93. https://doi.org/10.14421/al-mazaahib.v8i2.2216.
Handayani, Yulmitra. “Hukum Perkawinan Islam di Ruang Digital: Bias Gender dalam Wacana Hukum Perkawinan di Instagram” 14, no. 2 (2021): 113–32.
Hayat, Muhammad Jihadul. “Preaching Islamic Legal Rules on Screen: Conservatism on Islamic Family Law in Digital-Based Dakwah Program Mamah dan AA Beraksi.” Al-Jami’ah: Journal of Islamic Studies 60, no. 2 (2022): 427–66. https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2022.602.427-466.
Indonesian Supreme Court. “Direktori Putusan.” Accessed February 21, 2023. https://putusan3.mahkamahagung.go.id/.
“Judicial Powers Law No. 48 of 2009.”
Khoirul Abror. “Poligami dan Relevansinya dengan Keharmonisan Rumah Tangga (Studi di Kelurahan Rajabasa Bandar Lampung).” Al-´Adalah 13, no. 2 (2016): 227–38.
“Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Perdata (Civil Law Code).” https://jdih.mahkamahagung.go.id/legal-product/kitab-undang-undang-hukum-perdata/detail.
Kızılkaya, Necmettin. Legal Maxims in Islamic Law: Concept, History, and Application of Axioms of Juristic Accumulation. Legal Maxims in Islamic Law. Leiden: Brill, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004444676.
Kodir, Faqihuddin Abdul. Metodologi Fatwa KUPI: Pokok-Pokok Pikiran Musyawarah Keagamaan Kongres Ulama Perempuan Indonesia. Cirebon: KUPI, 2022.
“Kota Ini Laki Lakinya Paling Banyak yang Poligami Tahun 2022. Bagaimana dengan Kotamu.” Accessed January 19, 2023. https://www.pa-bojonegoro.go.id/article/Kota-ini-Laki-Lakinya-Paling-Banyak-yang-Poligami-Tahun-2022-Bagaimana-dengan-Kotamu.
Lubis, Dedi Mahruzani Nur. “Penggunaan Qawaid Fiqhiyyah dalam Putusan Hakim di Pengadilan Agama Medan.” Taqnin: Jurnal Syariah dan Hukum 2, no. 1 (June 24, 2020): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.30821/taqnin.v2i1.7600.
Mayasari, Lutfiana Dwi, Akmal Adi Cahya, and Ulfa Wulan Agustina. “Islamic Justice in Indonesia Polygamy Regulation on Asghar Ali Engineer’s Perspective.” Al-Mazaahib: Jurnal Perbandingan Hukum 9, no. 1 (September 12, 2021): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.14421/al-mazaahib.v9i1.2292.
“Marriage Law No. 1 of 1974.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 0044/Pdt.G/2020/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 0297/Pdt.G/2020/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 0424/Pdt.G/2020/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 0544/Pdt.G/2020/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 0903/Pdt.G/2022/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 0944/Pdt.G/2021/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 1039/Pdt.G/2021/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 1402/Pdt.G/2022/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 1538/Pdt.G/2021/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 1892/Pdt.G/2021/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 1941/Pdt.G/2020/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 1999/Pdt.G/2020/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 2211/Pdt.G/2020/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 2253/Pdt.G/2022/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 2299/Pdt.G/2020/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 2321/Pdt.G/2022/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 2392/Pdt.G/2020/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 2448/Pdt.G/2022/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 2637/Pdt.G/2021/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 2729/Pdt.G/2021/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 2735/Pdt.G/2020/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 2856/Pdt.G/2021/PA.Mr.”
“Mojokerto Religious Court Verdict No. 2959/Pdt.G/2020/PA.Mr.”
Mundzir, Moh. “Metode Penetapan Fatwa Majelis Ulama Indonesia (Analisis Penggunaan Qawaid Fiqhiyyah sebagai Dalil Mandiri dalam Fatwa)” 2, no. I (2021): 1–18.
Mustaqim, Agus Satory. “Polygamy Marriage Law without Court Permits in Indonesia.” PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 17, no. 7 (November 20, 2020): 16340–51.
Nabil, Muhammad Faried. “Narasi Poligami di Kalangan Muslimah Aktivis Dakwah Kampus di Yogyakarta: Konservatisme dalam Hukum Keluarga Islam.” Al-Ahwal 12, no. 1 (2019): 65–83.
Nasir, Mohamad Abdun. “Islamic Law and Paradox of Domination and Resistance: Women’s Judicial Divorce in Lombok, Indonesia.” Asian Journal of Social Science 44, no. 1–2 (January 1, 2016): 78–103. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685314-04401006.
Nurlaelawati, Euis. Expansive Legal Interpretation and Muslim Judges’ Approach to Polygamy in Indonesia. Hawwa 18, no. 2–3 (October 28, 2020): 295–324. https://doi.org/10.1163/15692086-12341380.
———. “Problematika Isbat Nikah: Dualisme Kepentingan dan Perlindungan terhadap Perempuan dan Anak dalam Legalisasi Poligami Siri.” In Membela Hak-Hak Masyarakat Rentan: HAM, Keragman Agama, dan Isu-Isu Keluarga, edited by Noorhaidi Hasan, 83–118. Yogyakarta: Pascasarjana UIN Sunan Kalijaga Press, 2021.
Nurmila, Nina. Women, Islam and Everyday Life: Renegotiating Polygamy in Indonesia. Women in Asia Series. London: Routledge, 2009.
Rabb, Intisar A. “Islamic Legal Maxims as Substantive Canons of Construction: Ḥudūd-Avoidance in Cases of Doubt.” Islamic Law and Society 17, no. 1 (2010): 62–125. https://doi.org/10.1163/092893809X12472107043920.
Rizki, Muhammad. “Implementasi Kaidah Fiqhiyah dalam Perkara Dispensasi Kawin di Pengadilan Agama Pacitan.” Institut Agama Islam Negeri Ponorogo, 2023.
Salman Farisi. “Kedudukan Fiqh dan Undang-Undang dalam Pertimbangan Hakim pada Perkara Pembatalan Perkawinan di Pengadilan Agama Bogor Tahun 2016-2021.” Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, 2022.
Sam’ani, Sam’ani, Rokhmadi Rokhmadi, Nasihun Amin, Ahmad Zaini, and Suprijati Sarib. “Pragmatism of Polygamous Family in Muslim Society: Beyond Islamic Law.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga dan Hukum Islam 7, no. 1 (March 31, 2023): 321–40. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i1.15874.
Shaham, Ron. “Legal Maxims (Qawā’id Fiqhiyya) in Yūsuf al-Qaradāwī’s Jurisprudence and Fatwas.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 140, no. 2 (2020): 435–53. https://doi.org/10.7817/jameroriesoci.140.2.0435.
Shobirin. “Kompetensi Peradilan Agama dalam Interpretasi Hukum Keluarga Islam di Indonesia.” Ziswaf 2, no. 1 (2015): 63–88.
Taufiki, Muhammad, Rokani Darsyah, and Mahmud Ridha. “The Use of Maxims (al- Qawā’id al-Uṣūliyyah wa al-Fiqhiyyah) in Legal Argumentation of Sharia Economic Court Decisions in Indonesia.” Al-Ihkam 17, no. 1 (2022): 165–88.
Wahyuni, Sinta. “Permohonan Izin Poligami Karena Ketidakpuasan Pelayanan Kebutuhan Seksual.” Institut Agama Islam Negeri Purwokerto, 2019.
Wirastri, Theresia Dyah, and Stijn Cornelis van Huis. “The Second Wife: Ambivalences towards State Regulation of Polygamy in Indonesia.” The Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law 53, no. 2 (May 4, 2021): 246–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/07329113.2021.1912579.
Yazid, Mhd. “Conservatism of Islamic Legal Arguments in Granting Marriage Dispensation at the Indonesian Religious Courts.” Al-Qisthu: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu-Ilmu Hukum 21, no. 1 (2023): 1–14.
Zakariyah, Luqman. Legal Maxims in Islamic Criminal Law: Theory and Applications. Leiden: Brill, 2015.
Zuhdi, Syaifuddin, and Rizki Widyawati. “The Islamic Legal Maxims in Consideration of Religious Court Judge.” Proceedings of the International Conference on Community Empowerment and Engagement (ICCEE 2021) 661, 2021 (2022): 280–86. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220501.032.
Copyright (c) 2023 Mukhammad Nur Hadi, Latifatul Islamiyah, Cecep Soleh Kurniawan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
