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Reinterpreting Islamic Inheritance: Supreme Court Jurisprudence and Gender Justice in Indonesia

Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun · Vol. 13 No. 3 (2025) · pp. 2339–2364

DOI
10.26811/peuradeun.v13i3.1593
ISSN
2443-2067, 2338-8617
Published
2025-09-30
Publisher
SCAD Independent
Language
eng
License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

Abstract

The implementation of Islamic inheritance law in Indonesia continues to face interpretive challenges in balancing classical jurisprudence with contemporary demands for gender justice. This study examines how the Indonesian Supreme Court, through landmark decisions—Decision No. 86 K/AG/1994 and Decision No. 184 K/AG/1995—has redefined inheritance principles by granting daughters the legal authority to block the inheritance rights of the testator’s siblings. Employing a normative–juridical approach that integrates statutory, conceptual, and case-based analyses, this research explores the Court’s interpretive reliance on Ibn ʿAbbās’s minority opinion concerning Qur’an 4:176, which equates the inheritance positions of sons and daughters. The findings reveal that the Court’s jurisprudence prioritizes genealogical proximity (qarābah al-dam) over gender preference, thereby reconfiguring inheritance distribution and affirming daughters as residuary heirs (ʿaṣabah). This reinterpretation represents a progressive form of ijtihād qaḍāʾī that harmonizes Islamic law with constitutional principles of equality and justice. Academically, the study contributes a contextual model for integrating maqāṣid al-sharīʿah and civic reason within Indonesia’s plural legal framework; practically, it offers a reference for reforming the Compilation of Islamic Law and advancing gender-equitable inheritance jurisprudence across Muslim-majority societies.

Keywords

Collaboration network of the authors

15 authors · 30 co-authorship links · 4 across different organisations

Hover or tap a name to highlight its co-authors. Double-click to open the author's page.

  • Universitas Syiah Kuala
  • Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry
  • Universitas Halu Oleo
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Different organisations
  • Same organisation
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Thicker line = more joint articles · bigger circle = more articles
Show as table
Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Amrullah AmrullahAffiliation unknown1
Rizanizarli RizanizarliAffiliation unknown1
Teuku Muttaqin MansurAffiliation unknown1
Sitti MawarAffiliation unknown1
Muhammad HabibiUniversitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry1
Soraya devyAffiliation unknown1
Muhammad HusnulAffiliation unknown1
Fauziati FauziatiAffiliation unknown1
Suarni SuarniUniversitas Halu Oleo1
Darmawan DarmawanAffiliation unknown1
Suhaimi SuhaimiAffiliation 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.scadindependent.org/index.php/jipeuradeun/oai, first harvested 7 Nov 2026, last seen 8 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Reinterpreting Islamic Inheritance: Supreme Court Jurisprudence and Gender Justice in Indonesia</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Roslina, Roslina</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Abbas, Syahrizal</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Ismail, Ilyas</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Jauhari, Iman</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Islamic Inheritance</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Supreme Court</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Gender Justice</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Legal Pluralism</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Law</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">The implementation of Islamic inheritance law in Indonesia continues to face interpretive challenges in balancing classical jurisprudence with contemporary demands for gender justice. This study examines how the Indonesian Supreme Court, through landmark decisions—Decision No. 86 K/AG/1994 and Decision No. 184 K/AG/1995—has redefined inheritance principles by granting daughters the legal authority to block the inheritance rights of the testator’s siblings. Employing a normative–juridical approach that integrates statutory, conceptual, and case-based analyses, this research explores the Court’s interpretive reliance on Ibn ʿAbbās’s minority opinion concerning Qur’an 4:176, which equates the inheritance positions of sons and daughters. The findings reveal that the Court’s jurisprudence prioritizes genealogical proximity (qarābah al-dam) over gender preference, thereby reconfiguring inheritance distribution and affirming daughters as residuary heirs (ʿaṣabah). This reinterpretation represents a progressive form of ijtihād qaḍāʾī that harmonizes Islamic law with constitutional principles of equality and justice. Academically, the study contributes a contextual model for integrating maqāṣid al-sharīʿah and civic reason within Indonesia’s plural legal framework; practically, it offers a reference for reforming the Compilation of Islamic Law and advancing gender-equitable inheritance jurisprudence across Muslim-majority societies.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">SCAD Independent</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2025-09-30</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.scadindependent.org/index.php/jipeuradeun/article/view/1593</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.26811/peuradeun.v13i3.1593</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun; Vol. 13 No. 3 (2025): Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun; 2339-2364</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2443-2067</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2338-8617</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.scadindependent.org/index.php/jipeuradeun/article/view/1593/1120</dc:relation>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.scadindependent.org/index.php/jipeuradeun/article/view/1593/1121</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2025 Roslina Roslina, Syahrizal Abbas, Ilyas Ismail, Iman Jauhari (Author)</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0</dc:rights>
</oai_dc:dc>