Reconstructing Islamic Inheritance Law in Indonesia: Negotiating Classical Fiqh Mawarith and Contemporary Legal Challenges
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Abstract
The transformation of family structures and the growing demand for gender justice have generated significant controversy in the application of Islamic inheritance law (fiqh mawarith) across Muslim-majority societies, particularly in Indonesia. Classical Islamic inheritance provisions, while providing a detailed normative framework, often encounter tension when applied to contemporary social realities characterized by legal pluralism and changing familial dynamics. This study examines the reconstruction of Islamic inheritance law in Indonesia through the negotiation between classical fiqh mawarith doctrines and contemporary legal challenges within modern Muslim society. This research employs a normative juridical approach using statutory, conceptual, comparative, and case approaches. Primary legal materials include Qur'anic verses on inheritance (QS. An-Nisa: 7, 11, 12, 176), classical fiqh mawarith literature, the Compilation of Islamic Law (KHI), Religious Court decisions, and Indonesian legal regulations related to inheritance disputes. Secondary materials consist of contemporary journal articles and scholarly works discussing Islamic legal reform, maqasid al-shariah, and legal pluralism. The findings reveal that Indonesian Islamic inheritance law has undergone substantial reconstruction through judicial interpretation, particularly in the expansion of wasiat wajibah (mandatory bequest) to non-Muslim heirs and the recognition of substitute heirs. The Indonesian Supreme Court's progressive jurisprudence demonstrates contextual ijtihad that integrates maqasid al-shariah principles with constitutional demands for justice and equality. This research concludes that the reconstruction of Islamic inheritance law in Indonesia represents a dynamic model of contextual Islamic jurisprudence that balances doctrinal fidelity with social responsiveness, offering valuable insights for other Muslim-majority societies navigating similar legal reforms..
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