MARRIAGE DISPENSATION IN INDONESIA : ANALYSIS OF LEGAL PLURALISM IN THE RELIGIOUS COURTS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ISLAMIC FAMILY LAW

MARRIAGE DISPENSATION IN INDONESIA : ANALYSIS OF LEGAL PLURALISM IN THE RELIGIOUS COURTS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ISLAMIC FAMILY LAW

Authors

  • Asman Asman Universitas Sultan Muhammad Syafiuddin Sambas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56874/el-ahli.v6i2.2420

Keywords:

Marriage dispensation, legal pluralism, Religious Courts, Islamic Family Law, Maqashid Sharia

Abstract

The dispensation of underage marriage is an important issue in the legal and child protection system in Indonesia. Although Law Number 16 of 2019 has set the minimum age of marriage for men and women to 19 years, the practice of granting dispensation is still rampant. This dispensation is filed through religious courts for Muslims and state courts for non-Muslims on urgent grounds such as out-of-wedlock pregnancies or socio-cultural pressures. This study uses a normative-comparative approach by analyzing national regulations and principles of Islamic Family Law, including references to the Compilation of Islamic Law (KHI), fiqh nikah, and sharia maqashid. The results showed that the majority of dispensation requests were due to unplanned pregnancies and family pressure, which impacted the child's reproductive health, psychological condition, and education. From the perspective of sharia maqashid, this practice is often contrary to the goals of the protection of the soul (hifz al-nafs), heredity (hifz al-nasl), and reason (hifz al-'aql). This study identified  a research gap in the form of a lack of harmonization between the application of Islamic law and national law in the protection of children from the practice of early marriage. Academically, this research contributes to the development of the study of Islamic Family Law by offering a more integrative child protection paradigm, based on sharia maqashid, and in line with national legal policies. This research contributes to understanding the harmonization of Islamic Family Law and national law in protecting minors, emphasizing the urgency of holistic approaches through education, legal enforcement, and community awareness to prevent early marriage.

References

Abdawiyah, M.J. et al. (2023) 'Analysis of the Determination of Dispensation of Underage Marriage', Yustitia Journal, 24(1), p. 24. https://doi.org/10.53712/yustitia.v24i1.1967.

Ahmad N M and R. Zainul M (2024) 'Supreme Court Judge's Decision on Marriage Dispensation (Marriage Dispensation in the Indonesian Legal System)', JOSH: Journal of Sharia, 3(2), pp. 141–151. https://doi.org/10.55352/josh.v3i02.930.

Ahmad R and Kartini, L. (2023) 'Legal Process of Dispensation of Underage Marriage by the Office of Religious Affairs', Unizar Law Review, 6(2), p. 56. https://doi.org/10.36679/ulr.v6i2.59.

Anwar H (2019) 'Critical Studies of Civil Law (Kuhpercivil) in Philosophical Aspects', Justisi Journal of Legal Sciences, 4(1), pp. 20–31. https://doi.org/10.36805/jjih.v4i1.641.

Aris and Sabir, M. (2020) 'Islamic Law and Social Problems; An Analysis of Some Islamic Civil Laws in the Compilation of Islamic Law in Indonesia', DIKTUM: Journal of Sharia and Law, 18(2), pp. 283–295. https://doi.org/10.35905/diktum.v18i2.1608.

Hardayanti, S., Marluwi, M. and Muzammil, S. (2023) 'Application for Dispensation of Underage Marriage at the Nanga Pinoh Religious Court in 2020', Al-Usroh, 3(1), pp. 119–131. https://doi.org/10.24260/al-usroh.v3i1.938.

Al Hasan, F.A. and Yusup, D.K. (2021) 'Marriage Dispensation in the Indonesian Legal System: Ensuring the Best Interests of Children through Judges' Decisions', Al-Ahwal: Islamic Family Law Journal, 14(1), pp. 86–98. https://doi.org/10.14421/ahwal.2021.14107.

Hilmy, A.A.M. and Toriqirrama, F. (2020) 'Isbat Nikah Integrated Perspective of Maqasid Sharia', Al-Ahwal: Journal of Islamic Family Law, 13(1), pp. 79–90. https://doi.org/10.14421/ahwal.2020.13108.

Ismail, M.U., Rohman, M.M. and Mohsi, M. (2020) 'Taqn?n Al-Ahk?m (A Study of the History of Islamic Civil Law Legislation in Indonesian National Law)', Ulumuna: Journal of Islamic Studies, 6(1), pp. 85–109. https://doi.org/10.36420/ju.v6i1.3957.

Mansari, M. and Rizkal, R. (2021) 'The Role of Judges in Efforts to Prevent Child Marriage: Between Benefits and Harms', El-Usrah: Journal of Family Law, 4(2), p. 328. https://doi.org/10.22373/ujhk.v4i2.10219.

N, N. (2020) 'A Philosophical Study of the Marriage Law Number 1 of 1974 Article 7 Paragraph (1) Concerning the Age of Marriage', Ahkam: Journal of Islamic Law, 8(1), pp. 89–108. https://doi.org/10.21274/ahkam.2020.8.1.89-108.

Novita, N. and Syofiarti (2024) 'The Implications of the Issuance of Supreme Court Regulation Number 5 of 2019 on the Request for Marriage Dispensation at the Solok Religious Court', Ekasakti Legal Science Journal, 1(2), pp. 110–119. https://doi.org/10.60034/wwc40n87.

Putra, Y.A.D. and Yunanto, Y. (2023) 'Legal Protection of a Child as an Applicant for Marriage Dispensation After the Revision of the Marriage Law', AL-MANHAJ: Journal of Islamic Law and Social Institutions, 5(1), pp. 457–466. https://doi.org/10.37680/almanhaj.v5i1.2403.

Rachmatulloh and Syafiuddin, C. (2022) 'The Practice of Marriage Dispensation Applications in Courts (Study of Supreme Court Regulation Number 5 of 2019)', Al-Qadau Journal: Islamic Family Justice and Law, 9(1), pp. 1–15. https://doi.org/10.24252/al-qadau.v9i1.23752.

Ramelan, R. and Nurtsani, R. (2024) 'Measuring the Function of Marriage Dispensation in the Prevention of Child Marriage in Indonesia', Usroh: Islamic Family Law Journal, 8(1), pp. 11–27. https://doi.org/10.19109/ujhki.v8i1.23274.

Rohman, M. (2023) 'Marriage Dispensation and Legal Political Policy in Indonesia', MASADIR: Journal of Islamic Law, 3(1), pp. 556–571. https://doi.org/10.33754/masadir.v3i01.677.

Sri M and S. Purwaningsih (2022) 'The Application of the Marriage Age Limit as an Effort to Protect Children', Journal of Research in the Social, Political and Humanities Cluster, 1(2), pp. 128–149. https://doi.org/10.55606/jurrish.v1i2.1282.

Sudarmaji, W. (2021) 'Judges' Considerations in Deciding Marriage Dispensation Cases Based on Maslahah Analysis (Judge Determination Study No. 266/Pdt.P/2020/PA. Pwr di Pengacourt Agama Purworejo)', Al-Syakhsiyyah: Journal of Law & Family Studies, 3(1), pp. 131–144. https://doi.org/10.21154/syakhsiyyah.v3i1.3068.

Sukardi, D.H. and Yonnawati, Y. (2022) 'The Role of Legal Philosophy in the Reform of Formal and Material Civil Law', Justicia Ciencias: Journal of Legal Sciences, 7(2), pp. 221–234. https://doi.org/10.24967/jcs.v7i2.1964.

Yusiyaka, R.A. and Safitri, A. (2020) 'Gender-Responsive Family Education', Obor Penmas Journal: Out-of-School Education, 3(1), p. 232. https://doi.org/10.32832/oborpenmas.v3i1.2985.

Downloads

Published

11-12-2025

How to Cite

Asman, A. (2025). MARRIAGE DISPENSATION IN INDONESIA : ANALYSIS OF LEGAL PLURALISM IN THE RELIGIOUS COURTS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ISLAMIC FAMILY LAW . EL-AHLI : JURNAL HUKUM KELUARGA ISLAM, 6(2), 153–168. https://doi.org/10.56874/el-ahli.v6i2.2420

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): EL-AHLI : Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Islam

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 EL-AHLI : JURNAL HUKUM KELUARGA ISLAM

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

All articles published in EL-AHLI: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Islam are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Under this license, authors and readers are free to:

  • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.

  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

Under the following terms:

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

  • ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.

Copyright and Licensing Policy:

  • The author retains copyright and grants the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, which allows others to share the work with acknowledgment of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.

  • Authors are allowed to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.

Link to License:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/