Reinterpreting the Philosophy of Mahr in Islamic Family Law: A Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah Analysis of Women's Economic Protection within the Banjar Jujuran Tradition
Main Article Content
Abstract
In classical fiqh discourse, mahr is often situated within the framework of the muʿāwaḍah (exchange) contract, which, epistemologically, tends to reduce women's human value to legal objects. In the era of economic disruption, interpreting mahr as merely an administrative formality or a religious symbol undermines its protective function against a wife's economic vulnerability. This study aims to conduct a philosophical reinterpretation of mahr by shifting the paradigm from the mere symbolism of istimtāʿ toward the sovereignty of absolute milkiyyah (ownership) for women. This study is normative legal research employing statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches. The analysis is conducted using the Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah framework to examine the dimensions of the benefits of mahr within the structure of Indonesian family law. The findings reveal that mahr should be recontextualised as a ḍarūriyyāt (necessity) instrument functioning as a social safety net for women. The reinterpretation of mahr through the principles of ḥifẓ al-māl (protection of property) and ḥifẓ al-nafs (protection of life) requires its functionalization as productive assets with sustainable value. In the Indonesian context, particularly in regions where the jujuran tradition entails high marriage costs, there is a need to shift financial allocations from ceremonial expenditures toward strengthening sovereign mahr. In conclusion, this reinterpretation reinforces financial responsibility (qawwāmah) based on justice while offering a solution to women's economic vulnerability within the contemporary family law framework.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Al-Zuhayli, Wahbah. Al-Fiqh Al-Islami Wa-Adillatuh. Dar Al-Fikr Al-Mouaser, 1989.
Amri, Khairul, Muhammad Adnan, and Cut Dian Fitri. “Does Poverty Affect Divorce Rates? The Role of Women’s Income as Moderating Variable.” Cogent Social Sciences 8, no. 1 (2022): 2069908.
Asman, Asman. “Comparative Analysis of the Istinbath Methods of the Shafi’i and Hanafi Schools Regarding the Role of the Wali Mujbir in Marriage Law.” Al-Ahkam: Jurnal Ilmu Syari’ah Dan Hukum 9, no. 1 (2024): 29–46.
Asyur, Ibn. “Maqashid Al-Syari’ah Al-Islamiyah.” Yordania: Dar Al-Nafaiz, 2001.
Auda, Jasser. Maqasid Al-Shariah as Philosophy of Islamic Law: A Systems Approach. International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), 2008.
Azhari, Fathurrahman, and Muhammad Rifqi Hidayat. “Giving Jujuran in Socio-Cultural Marriage of Banjar Community.” Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences 45, no. 1 (2024): 215–24.
Darwis, Rizal, Nurul Mahmudah, Ahmad Faisal, Muhammad Syakir Al Kautsar, and Ahmad Fathan Aniq. “Negotiating Sharia, Customary Law, and Gender: Feminist Legal Pluralism in the Learo Tradition of Marriage in the Bintauna Community, Indonesia.” Al-Istinbath: Jurnal Hukum Islam 11, no. 1 (2026): 436–58.
Eksi, Ahmet, and A H M Uddın. “Comparing Dowry System and Mahr: Cultural Practices Versus Ottoman Law in Turkish Matrimonial Traditions.” Islamiyyat-The International Journal Of Islamic Studies, no. 2 (2024).
Goodarzi, Leila Salarpour. “Mahr and Divorce: An Islamic Marriage Concept and Its Effects on Intrahousehold Bargaining Power of Couples.” Binghamton University, 2018.
Guspidawati, Lenny, and Jumni Nelli. “Reconstructing Marriage Agreements in Islamic Family Law: An Integrative Analysis of Fiqh, Maqāṣid Al-Syari’ah, and Indonesian Positive Law.” Jurnal Ushuluddin 33, no. 2 (2025): 635–52.
Hafidzi, Anwar. “Deliberating Marriage Payment through Jujuran within Banjarese Community.” Asy-Syir’ah: Jurnal Ilmu Syari’ah Dan Hukum 54, no. 2 (2020): 277–98.
Hallaq, Wael B. The Impossible State: Islam, Politics, and Modernity’s Moral Predicament. Columbia University Press, 2012.
Hayati, Fauziah, Nadiyah Seff, and Anwar Hafidzi. “Reconstructing Islamic Jurisprudence in Local Marriage Practices: A Legal-Ethnographic Study of Jujuran in Banjar Society.” El-Qist: Journal of Islamic Economics and Business (JIEB) 15, no. 1 (2025): 14–31.
Hughes, Christine, Mara Bolis, Rebecca Fries, and Stephanie Finigan. “Women’s Economic Inequality and Domestic Violence: Exploring the Links and Empowering Women.” Gender & Development 23, no. 2 (2015): 279–97.
Jahangir, Rashed, and Mehmet Bulut. “Rejuvenating the Practice of Mahr for Muslim Women’s Financial Empowerment through an Interest-Free Savings-Based Finance Model.” Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research 16, no. 3 (2025): 506–32.
Kurniawan, Edi, Ahmad Mustaniruddin, Akhmad Kamil Rizani, Ahmad Zaenuri, and Muhamad Zaenal Muttaqin. “Recent Studies on the Maqāṣid Al-Sharīʻah of Abū Isḥāq Al-Shāṭibī:: A Systematic Literature Review.” AJIS: Academic Journal of Islamic Studies 10, no. 1 (2025): 1–26.
Marzuki, Mahmud. Penelitian Hukum: Edisi Revisi. Prenada Media, 2017.
Nasution, Khoiruddin. “Perlindungan Terhadap Anak Dalam Hukum Keluarga Islam Indonesia.” Al-´ Adalah 13, no. 1 (2016): 1–10.
Nurjanah, Siti, Agus Salim Ferliadi, Wahyu Abdul Jafar, Wihda Yanuar Firdaus, and Fatin Hamamah. “Mitigating the Digital Age Impact: Collaborative Strategies of State and Religious Institutions for Family Harmony in Indonesia.” El-Usrah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga 7, no. 2 (2024): 713–41.
Nurlaelawati, Euis. Modernization, Tradition and Identity: The Kompilasi Hukum Islam and Legal Practice in the Indonesian Religious Courts. Vol. 4. Amsterdam University Press, 2010.
Romli, Dewani, and Abdul Qodir Zaelani. “Counter Legal Drafting of the Islamic Law Compilation, A Gender Perspective.” In 1st Raden Intan International Conference on Muslim Societies and Social Sciences (RIICMuSSS 2019), 331–37. Atlantis Press, 2020.
Saepullah, Usep. “The Inter-Religious Marriage in Islamic and Indonesian Law Perspective.” Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun 7, no. 1 (2019): 43–58.
Sar’an, Mohamad, Yusuf Hidayatulloh, Sofia Gussevi, Riski Indrawan, and Nur Alam Ullumuddin Zuhri. “Implementation of Harmonious Family in the Concept of Proportionality of Obligations and Rights of Husband and Wife Relations: A Perspective on the Compilation of Islamic Law.” El-Usrah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga 7, no. 2 (2024): 695–712.
Semida, Salah Eldin Ragab, Zeyad Tareq Al-Rawe, Sarmad Dalaf Hanoosh, Tarek El-Sayed Mahmoud Abu Aqil, and Mahmood Shaker Alaloosh. “From Remedial to Preventive Justice: A Contemporary Reframing of Civil Liability in Islamic and Comparative Law.” MILRev: Metro Islamic Law Review 5, no. 1 (2026): 722–52.
Showkat, Arshi. “The Principle and Practice of Mahr in Muslim Marriages.” Feminist Theology 31, no. 2 (2023): 197–209.
Sirri, Lana. Islamic Feminism: Discourses on Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Islam. Routledge, 2020.
Soekanto, Soerjono, and Sri Mamudji. “Penelitian Hukum Normatif Suatu Tinjauan Singkat Cet XVII.” Rajawali Pers, Jakarta, 2015.
Umami, Ulul, and Abdul Ghofur. “Human Rights in Maqāṣid Al-Sharī’ah Al-Āmmah: A Perspective of Ibn ‘Āshūr.” Al-Ahkam 32, no. 1 (2022): 87–108.
ur Rehman, Muhammad Baqi. “An Analytical Study of Mahr with Reference to the Prophet’s Wives (Azwāj Al-Muṭahharāt).” AL-HAYAT Research Journal (AHRJ) 2, no. 2 (2025): 103–10.
Wahdini, Muhammad, and Muhammad MH. “Pengantar Metodologi Penelitian Hukum.” Yogyakarta: Penerbit K-Media, 2022.
Yakub, Bahruddin Umar, Husain Husain, Abidin Nurdin, Nurhayati Nurhayati, and Miftah Khilmi Hidayatulloh. “Living Qur’an, Gender, and Sibaliparriq, in Mandar, Indonesia: Cultural Construction in the Perspective of Islamic Law.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam 7, no. 2 (2023): 1219–42.