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Judicial Ijtihād and Maqāṣid-Based Adjudication in Interfaith Inheritance: Reconstructing Wasiat Wajibah in Indonesian Islamic Law

Asy-Syari'ah · Vol. 28 No. 1 (2025) · pp. 1–30

DOI
10.15575/as.v28i1.52572
ISSN
2654-5675, 2086-9029
Published
2025-06-30
Publisher
Faculty of Sharia and Law, Sunan Gunung Djati Islamic State University of Bandung
Language
eng
License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

Abstract

Abstract: Islamic inheritance law in Indonesia encounters persistent normative tension when applied to interfaith family structures. Classical farāʾiḍ doctrine categorically prohibits inheritance across religious boundaries, a rule that frequently generates substantive injustice within plural legal and social contexts. In response, Indonesian Supreme Court jurisprudence has progressively developed wasiat wajibah (mandatory will) as a judicial mechanism for protecting non-Muslim family members who are excluded from intestate succession. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the jurisprudential development, legal construction, and normative limits of wasiat wajibah through doctrinal analysis of authoritative Supreme Court decisions issued between 1995 and 2018, supported by statutory interpretation and relevant Islamic legal scholarship. A normative-juridical approach was adopted, incorporating doctrinal, jurisprudential, and comparative legal analysis, while a limited empirical interview with a Religious Court judge was included solely to provide contextual illustration rather than as representative evidence of national judicial practice. The results showed that Indonesian courts have gradually transformed wasiat wajibah from a discretionary equitable remedy into an institutionalised judicial doctrine applied through purposive interpretation, subject to a one-third quantitative limitation and procedural safeguards. The analysis further indicated that this jurisprudential development reflects a form of judicial ijtihād qadhaʾī grounded in maqāṣid al-sharīʿah, particularly the protection of wealth, family integrity, and human dignity. At the same time, an unresolved normative issue was identified concerning the judicial extension of Article 209 of the Compilation of Islamic Law to non-Muslim beneficiaries, indicating continuing debates over the scope of judicial law-making (rechtsvorming) within Indonesian Islamic inheritance law. Indonesian courts use wasiat wajibah, a supplementary legal mechanism designed to reconcile classical inheritance doctrine with substantive justice in a plural legal system, instead of redefining non-Muslims as legal heirs.

Keywords

Collaboration network of the authors

40 authors · 124 co-authorship links · showing the 40 most connected

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  • Universitas Halu Oleo
  • National Research and Innovation Agency
  • Tadulako University
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Different organisations
  • Same organisation
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Thicker line = more joint articles · bigger circle = more articles
Show as table
Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Haris Maiza PutraAffiliation unknown9
Naeli MutmainahAffiliation unknown4
Wa Ode AntiAffiliation unknown3
Muharir MuharirAffiliation unknown3
Nanang NaisaburAffiliation unknown3
Naelul AzmiAffiliation unknown3
Samiati SamiatiAffiliation unknown2
Muhammad SifaAffiliation unknown2
Ihwanul MuadibAffiliation unknown2
Aji SofanudinNational Research and Innovation Agency2
Mustofa MustofaTadulako University2
Chikal Anugrah Putra NaisaburAffiliation unknown2
Doddy Afandi FirdausAffiliation unknown2
Abdul Jaman RogalendoAffiliation unknown1
Roswuro RoswuroAffiliation unknown1
Jeksen SantikaAffiliation unknown1
La Ode HidayatAffiliation unknown1
Starni RamisaAffiliation unknown1
Abdul Muis BalubiUniversitas Halu Oleo1
La Onu La OlaUniversitas Halu Oleo1
Fitrah AdelinaAffiliation unknown1
Y. Erning IndrastutiAffiliation unknown1
Nurkhalisah NurkhalisahAffiliation unknown1
IsmailAffiliation unknown1
Gemini AlamAffiliation unknown1
Rina AgustinaAffiliation unknown1
Muhammad RaihanAffiliation unknown1
HabibieAffiliation unknown1
Sari HaryantiAffiliation unknown1
Muhammad Azwar ARAffiliation unknown1
Siti NurohmahAffiliation unknown1
Moh. Syarif HidayatAffiliation unknown1
Iryansyah IryansyahAffiliation unknown1
Attabik Hasan Ma’rufAffiliation unknown1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/asy-syariah/oai, first harvested 7 Nov 2026, last seen 8 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en-US">Judicial Ijtihād and Maqāṣid-Based Adjudication in Interfaith Inheritance: Reconstructing Wasiat Wajibah in Indonesian Islamic Law</dc:title>
	<dc:creator>Ropiah, Siti</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Syafi’i, Syafi’i</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Rahim, Abdul</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Ahyani, Hisam</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Huda, Miftakhul</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Muhammad Gumel, Salisu</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">Islamic inheritance law</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">wasiat wajibah</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">judicial ijtihād</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">maqāṣid al-sharīʿah</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">interfaith inheritance </dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">legal pluralism</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en-US">Abstract: Islamic inheritance law in Indonesia encounters persistent normative tension when applied to interfaith family structures. Classical farāʾiḍ doctrine categorically prohibits inheritance across religious boundaries, a rule that frequently generates substantive injustice within plural legal and social contexts. In response, Indonesian Supreme Court jurisprudence has progressively developed wasiat wajibah (mandatory will) as a judicial mechanism for protecting non-Muslim family members who are excluded from intestate succession. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the jurisprudential development, legal construction, and normative limits of wasiat wajibah through doctrinal analysis of authoritative Supreme Court decisions issued between 1995 and 2018, supported by statutory interpretation and relevant Islamic legal scholarship. A normative-juridical approach was adopted, incorporating doctrinal, jurisprudential, and comparative legal analysis, while a limited empirical interview with a Religious Court judge was included solely to provide contextual illustration rather than as representative evidence of national judicial practice. The results showed that Indonesian courts have gradually transformed wasiat wajibah from a discretionary equitable remedy into an institutionalised judicial doctrine applied through purposive interpretation, subject to a one-third quantitative limitation and procedural safeguards. The analysis further indicated that this jurisprudential development reflects a form of judicial ijtihād qadhaʾī grounded in maqāṣid al-sharīʿah, particularly the protection of wealth, family integrity, and human dignity. At the same time, an unresolved normative issue was identified concerning the judicial extension of Article 209 of the Compilation of Islamic Law to non-Muslim beneficiaries, indicating continuing debates over the scope of judicial law-making (rechtsvorming) within Indonesian Islamic inheritance law. Indonesian courts use wasiat wajibah, a supplementary legal mechanism designed to reconcile classical inheritance doctrine with substantive justice in a plural legal system, instead of redefining non-Muslims as legal heirs.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en-US">Faculty of Sharia and Law, Sunan Gunung Djati Islamic State University of Bandung</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2025-06-30</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:type xml:lang="en-US">Peer-reviewed Article</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/asy-syariah/article/view/52572</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15575/as.v28i1.52572</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en-US">Asy-Syari'ah; Vol. 28 No. 1 (2026): Asy-Syari'ah; 1-30</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2654-5675</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2086-9029</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/asy-syariah/article/view/52572/16794</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en-US">Copyright (c) 2026 Siti Ropiah, Syafi’i Syafi’i, Abdul Rahim, Hisam Ahyani, Miftakhul Huda, Salisu Muhammad Gumel</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en-US">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0</dc:rights>
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