WIFE'S MAINTENANCE RIGHTS IN NOMADIC HOUSEHOLDS: PERSPECTIVE OF CONTEMPORARY FAMILY LAW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56874/el-ahli.v6i2.2631Keywords:
Nafkah, Nomadism, Islamic Family Law, AdaptationAbstract
This study examines the right of wives to receive financial support (nafkah) within nomadic households from the perspective of contemporary Islamic family law. The research aims to explore how Islamic principles can be flexibly applied to ensure the fulfillment of this right in dynamic social contexts. Using a qualitative approach, this study combines normative analysis—based on the Qur’an, Hadith, classical fiqh, and contemporary fatwas—with empirical fieldwork involving semi-structured interviews with ten Muslim couples living nomadic lifestyles in Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar. Findings reveal that while the obligation of husbands to provide nafkah remains central, nomadism creates challenges such as unstable income, high living costs, and disrupted emotional support. Nevertheless, families adopt adaptive strategies, including digital financial management, joint decision-making, and remote employment opportunities, to maintain stability. The normative-empirical integration demonstrates that sharia principles, when applied with contextual flexibility, can offer practical solutions for nomadic families. This study contributes to the discourse of Islamic family law by highlighting its responsiveness to contemporary socio-economic dynamics and recommends further research on rural contexts and policy advocacy to strengthen protections for wives’ rights.
References
Abdussamad, S. (2021). Community Development of Syrian Refugees through Housing Strategies. Hamad Bin Khalifa University (Qatar).
Ahmed, I. (2022). Technology and rural women: conceptual and empirical issues. Taylor & Francis.
Ahyani, H., & Figueiredo, A. J. P. (2024). Integrating Shariah principles in modern family and economic life for social well-being and justice. Munakahat, 1(1), 94–107.
Al-Marakeby, M. (2022). Rethinking Modern Fatwa Typology: An Ethnographic Study on al-Azhar Fatwa Council. Islamic Studies Review, 1(2), 197–216.
Ali, M., Cordero, J. P., Khan, F., & Folz, R. (2019). ‘Leaving no one behind’: a scoping review on the provision of sexual and reproductive health care to nomadic populations. BMC Women’s Health, 19(1), 161.
Ardo, H., & Adamu, A. I. (2025). The rights of a working wife to maintenance: an islamic perspective. MAQOLAT: Journal of Islamic Studies, 3(2), 250–257.
Asnawiyah, A. (2021). Analysis of Strategies for Enhancing Altruistic Attitudes Based on the Guidance of Hadith. Jurnal Ilmiah Al-Mu’ashirah: Media Kajian Al-Qur’an Dan Al-Hadits Multi Perspektif, 18(2), 161–170.
Chapagain, R. (2025). Marriage and Cultural Displacement: The Hidden Struggles of Women Entering New Family Systems. Available at SSRN 5232658.
Cleuziou, J. (2023). Money transfers and ICT-based. The Central Asian World, 237.
Daharis, A. (2023). The Role and Position of Women in the Family According to Islamic Law: A Critical Study of Contemporary Practices.
Dam, A. (2023). Adaptable housing during crisis: Sustainable transition from tents to permanent accommodations.
de Sousa, B. V., Bastida, M., & Vieira, E. (2025). Unraveling digital nomadism: a comprehensive bibliometric review of emerging research and trends. Journal of Global Mobility: The Home of Expatriate Management Research, 13(1), 107–132.
De?irmenci, E. (2024). Narrating nomadism: the challenges faced by nomads living in Bodrum (Türkiye) in the 21st century.
Diab, J. L. (2025). The Unmovable Borderland: War, Home, and the Decision Against Displacement in South Lebanon.
Elder Jr, G. H. (1978). Approaches to social change and the family. American Journal of Sociology, 84, S1–S38.
Fitryansyah, M. A. (2024). Perceptions and Attitudes of Urban Muslim Youth towards Modernity and Globalization. Al-Madinah: Journal of Islamic Civilization, 1(1), 95–108.
Fleming, A. M. (2025). The Psychological and Social Effects of Asset Building Among Low-Income Consumers. Walden University.
Hikam, M., Siswanto, S., & Djalaluddin, A. (2025). Integrating Digital Services in Islamic Social Finance: A Service-Dominant Framework. Share: Jurnal Ekonomi Dan Keuangan Islam, 14(1), 285–318.
Jaffar, S., Ahmad, M., & Khalil, H. (2024). The Contemporary Relevance of Qiyas and Ijtihad in Responding to Modern Social Challenges. Scholar Insight Journal, 2(2), 52–69.
Kusmidi, H. (2023). Family Support Obligations From A Hadith Perspective. NUSANTARA: Journal Of Law Studies, 2(2), 118–126.
Leenders, R. T. A. J., & Dolfsma, W. A. (2016). Social networks for innovation and new product development. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 33(2), 123–131.
Mohadi, M. (2023). Normative Islamic conceptualizations of families and kinship through maqasid perspectives: A comprehensive literature study. Malaysian J. Syariah & L., 11, 290.
Muxammadali o‘g, Q. A. (2025). CHALLENGES OF PROVIDING SOLUTIONS TO MODERN ISSUES IN ISLAMIC LAW. EduVision: Journal of Innovations in Pedagogy and Educational Advancements, 1(3), 577–594.
Nasir, F. N. J. A., & Jubri, M. M. (2024). THE HUSBAND’S OBLIGATION IN PROVIDING NAFAQAH TO THE WIFE DURING THE PANDEMIC HARDSHIP: AN ANALYSIS FROM AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE. Jurnal Syariah, 32(2), 300–349.
Norman, N. A., & Ruhullah, M. E. (2024). EXPLORING THE ETHICAL DIMENSIONS OF FIQH: THE ROLE OF THE SOUL IN ACHIEVING MAQASID AL-SHARI’AH. Al-Shajarah: Journal of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC), 29(1), 47–77.
Oishi, N. (2005). Women in motion: Globalization, state policies, and labor migration in Asia. Stanford University Press.
Olumba, E. E. (2025). Choosing to stay: The Resilience-Accessibility Framework as a new perspective on immobility amidst adversity. Migration Studies, 13(3), mnaf023.
Rahman, B. A., & Husna, N. (2021). “Apa salahku?”: Interrogating social policy problem representations of domestic violence within Singapore’s Malay/Muslim population. Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington.
Rehman, K. (2025). Best Practices for Conflict Resolution in Shar??ah Governance.
Saghooni, N. M., Karshki, H., Esmaily, H., Feroz, F. Z., & Najmabadi, K. M. (2021). Mothers’ breastfeeding experiences of emotional support needs: A qualitative study in Iran. Journal of Caring Sciences, 10(3), 169.
Sigamany, I. (2025). Nomadic Indigenous Peoples and the Law: Self-Determination, Land Rights and Gender Justice in India. Taylor & Francis.
Sirgy, M. J. (2018). The psychology of material well-being. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 13(2), 273–301.
Syafe’i, I. (2024). Reconstructing the Meaning of Maintenance in Contemporary Islamic Family Law: A Maq??id Shari’ah Approach. RADEN INTAN: Proceedings on Family and Humanity, 1(1), 398–416.
Ubaidilah, N., & Husna, A. (2023). Regulation of Maintenance in Islamic Family Law: Implications for Family Welfare. International Journal of Health, Economics, and Social Sciences (IJHESS), 5(4), 601–612.
Wahid, A. H., Pabbajah, M., Yusuf, M., & Fauziah, E. (2024). Local cultural approach in navigating family conflict: Understanding cultural strategies for human well-being. Journal of Ecohumanism, 3(7), 2153–2160.
Walsh, F. (1996). The concept of family resilience: Crisis and challenge. Family Process, 35(3), 261–281.
Yilmaz, I. (2024). Sharia as informal law: lived experiences of young Muslims in Western societies. Routledge.
Zenkteler, M., Foth, M., & Hearn, G. (2022). Lifestyle cities, remote work and implications for urban planning. Australian Planner, 58(1–2), 25–35.
Published
Versions
- 24-12-2025 (2)
- 23-12-2025 (1)
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 EL-AHLI : JURNAL HUKUM KELUARGA ISLAM
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/
