RECONSTRUCTING THE CONCEPT OF ISTIṬĀ’AH AL-NIKĀḤ: A MAQĀṢID AL-SHARĪ’AH RESPONSE TO FEMALE WAITHOOD

Saini; Moh. Jeweherul Kalamiah; Mutia Tsamratus Sabrina; Imam Bonjol Juhari; M. Syafiqil Umam

doi:10.37397/al-majaalis.v13i2.1436

Authors

Saini KH Yazid Karimullah Institute, Jember, Indonesia
Moh. Jeweherul Kalamiah KH Yazid Karimullah Institute, Jember, Indonesia
Mutia Tsamratus Sabrina KH Yazid Karimullah Institute, Jember, Indonesia
Imam Bonjol Juhari Kiai Haji Achmad Siddiq University, Jember, Indonesia
M. Syafiqil Umam Internasional Islamic University of Islamabad Pakistan, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37397/al-majaalis.v13i2.1436

Keywords:

Istiṭā’ah al-nikāḥ, waithood, Muslim women, Maqāṣid al-Sharī’ah, Pandalungan society.

Abstract

Marriage postponement (waithood) among educated Muslim women in Indonesia has increasingly challenged conventional understandings of marital readiness rooted in biological maturity and domestic competence. This study aims to examine how Muslim undergraduate women in Jember reconstruct the concept of Istiṭā’ah al-nikāḥ within the socio-religious pressures of Pandalungan culture and pesantren traditions. Existing studies largely interpret Istiṭā’ah through material and legal dimensions, while limited attention has been given to women’s reflective experiences in redefining marital readiness through intellectual and psychological capacities. This research employed a qualitative phenomenological approach using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Data were collected through in-depth interviews and participant observation involving ten Muslim female undergraduate students aged 20–25 in Jember, and analysed using a contemporary Maqāṣid al-sharī’ah framework. The findings revealed a process of deconstruction toward traditional standards of marriage based on chronological age and domestic readiness, followed by the reconstruction of Istiṭā’ah as holistic preparedness grounded in intellectual sovereignty, emotional maturity, and reflective responsibility. Waithood was interpreted as an ethical and preventive strategy (sadd al-dharī’ah) to safeguard the intellect (ḥifẓ al-‘aql) and self (ḥifẓ al-nafs) before entering the mīthāqan ghalīẓā. This study demonstrates that modernity within the Pandalungan-pesantren context generates a reflective negotiation between religious commitment, women’s autonomy, and substantive marital readiness.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Agama RI, Departeman. Al-Quran Dan Terjemahannya. Semarang: PT. Intan Sari, 1997.

Agustina, Arifah Millati. “Contestation between Fiqh and Culture in Indonesia: The Maqāṣid al-Sharī’ah Paradigm in Dangers of Forced Marriage against Women.” Sawwa: Jurnal Studi Gender 18, no. 2 (October 2023): 147–68. https://doi.org/10.21580/sa.v18i2.17280.

Al-Bukhari, Imam Abi Abdillah Muhammad bin Ismail Ibnu Ibrahim bin Maghirah bin Bardazibah Al-Ja’fi. Shahih Al-Bukhari. Juz I. Beirut-Lebanon: Darul Kitab al-‘Ilmiyah, 1992.

Al-Jazairi, Abu Abdirrahman. Al-Qawaid al-Fiqhiyyah. Mekkah: Dar Ibn al-Jauzi, tt.

Al-Nisaburiy, Abu al-Husain Muslim bin al-Hujaj al-Qusyairiy. Shahih Muslim. Bairut: Daru al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah, 1995.

Auda, Jasser. Maqasid Al-Shariah as Philosophy of Islamic Law: A Systems Approach. Revised Edition. International Institute of Islamic Thought, 2022. https://iiit.org/en/book/maqasid-al-shariah-as-philosophy-of-islamic-law/.

’Azzam, Abdul Aziz Muhammad. Al Qawaid al Fiqhiyah. Kairo: Dar al-Hadis, 2005.

BPS. “Persentase Penduduk Perempuan Usia 10 Tahun Ke Atas di Jawa Timur yang Pernah Kawin Dirinci Menurut Kabupaten/Kota, Umur Kawin Pertama , 2023 - Tabel Statistik.” 2023. https://jatim.bps.go.id/id/statistics-table/1/MzEwNSMx/.

Cameron, Lisa, Diana Contreras Suarez, and Susan Wieczkiewicz. “Child Marriage: Using the Indonesian Family Life Survey to Examine the Lives of Women and Men Who Married at an Early Age.” Review of Economics of the Household 21, no. 3 (September 2023): 725–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-022-09616-8.

Dommaraju, Premchand, and JooEan Tan. “Going against Global Marriage Trends: The Declining Age at First Marriage in Indonesia.” Asian Population Studies 20, no. 2 (May 2024): 144–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441730.2023.2193488.

———. “Going against Global Marriage Trends: The Declining Age at First Marriage in Indonesia.” Asian Population Studies 20, no. 2 (May 2024): 144–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441730.2023.2193488.

Engelcke, Dörthe, Dominik Krell, and Nadjma Yassari. “Underage Marriage: Legal and Social Practice in Muslim Jurisdictions.” Arab Law Quarterly, March 26, 2025, 1–49. https://doi.org/10.1163/15730255-bja10184.

Hidayat, Arif, Darodjat, and Sriyanto. “Pesan Pendidikan Pernikahan dalam Q.S Al-Baqarah Ayat 187: (Analisis Kesetaraan Hak dan Kewajiban Suami Istri).” Al-Majaalis : Jurnal Dirasat Islamiyah 12, no. 1 (November 2024): 200–226. https://doi.org/10.37397/al-majaalis.v12i1.725.

Ibnu Majah, Abu Abdullah bin Yazid al Qazwaini. Sunan Ibnu Majah. Dar al-Risalah al Ilmiah, 2009.

Mahmood, Saba. “Feminist Theory, Agency, and the Liberatory Subject: Some Reflections on the Islamic Revival in Egypt.” Temenos - Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion 42, no. 1 (January 2006). https://doi.org/10.33356/temenos.4633.

Matsuda, Shigeki, and Takayuki Sasaki. “Deteriorating Employment and Marriage Decline in Japan.” Comparative Population Studies 45 (November 2020). https://doi.org/10.12765/CPoS-2020-22.

Misbahuzzulam, Arif Husnul Khuluq, and Muhammad Wahid Abdullah. “Prinsip ‘Mapan Dahulu Baru Menikah’ dalam Perspektif Islam.” Al-Majaalis : Jurnal Dirasat Islamiyah 11, no. 1 (November 2023): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.37397/amj.v11i1.462.

Mishra, Swayamshree, and Ravinder Kaur. “‘If I Cannot Give Birth to a Child, Why Would Anyone Accept Me?’: Menstrual Anxieties, Late Marriage, and Reproductive Aging.” Asian Journal of Women’s Studies 27, no. 4 (October 2021): 535–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/12259276.2021.1995154.

Muhsan Syarafuddin, Winning Son Ashari, and Siti Nazla Raihana. “Eskalasi Konflik Keluarga Dalam Dinamika Globalisasi Dan Pendekatan Resolusi Berbasis Fikih.” Al-Majaalis : Jurnal Dirasat Islamiyah 12, no. 1 (November 2024): 30–52. https://doi.org/10.37397/al-majaalis.v12i1.707.

Narхoz University, М. Maulsharif, A. Yerzhankyzy, and Satbayev University. “Analysis of Socio-Economic Factors of Delayed Marriage in the Context of Globalization.” BULLETIN OF L.N. GUMILYOV EURASIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY. PEDAGOGY. PSYCHOLOGY. SOCIOLOGY SERIES 148, no. 3 (2024): 340–57. https://doi.org/10.32523/2616-6895-2024-148-3-340-357.

Ngwenya, Nothando, and Eleanor Ross. Living in ‘Waithood’: Perceived Impact of Socio-Economic Conditions on Quality of Life of Youth in Zandspruit Informal Settlement, South Africa. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice. February 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1332/17598273Y2023D000000007.

Núñez-Martínez, Jacobo, Laura Rodríguez-Fernández, and Luisa Fernanda Rodríguez. “The Proximity of Hybrid Universities as a Key Factor for Rural Development.” Social Sciences 14, no. 8 (July 2025): 467. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14080467.

Nurfajriani, Wiyanda Vera, Muhammad Wahyu Ilhami, Arivan Mahendra, Muhammad Win Afgani, and Rusdy Abdullah Sirodj. “Triangulasi Data Dalam Analisis Data Kualitatif.” Jurnal Ilmiah Wahana Pendidikan 10, no. 17 (September 2024): 17. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13929272.

Nuri, Hasan Sulaiman al-, and Alawi Abbas al-Maliki. Ibanat Al-Ahkam Syarh Bulugh al-Maram. Vol. 2. Bairut, Libanon: Dar al-Fikr, 2006.

Ramadhina Qurrota Ayun, Shiva Amiliya Aidah, Nurul Ilma Aulia, Nabila Hasna Utama, and Nanang Hasan Susanto. “Islam Dan Budaya Lokal: Analisis Metodologis Terhadap Tradisi Keagamaan Masyarakat Jawa.” Jurnal Ilmiah Multidisiplin Ilmu 2, no. 6 (December 2025): 49–55. https://doi.org/10.69714/qrqe6d06.

Sarosa, Samiaji. Analisis Data Penelitian Kualitatif. Pt Kanisius, 2021.

Saxey, Matthew T., Ashley B. LeBaron-Black, Brian J. Willoughby, and Jeremy B. Yorgason. “Do Financial Barrier Beliefs About Marriage Predict Building Wealth? Latent Growth Curves of Emerging Adults’ Financial Barrier Beliefs, Assets, and Debt.” Journal of Family and Economic Issues 46, no. 2 (June 2025): 331–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-024-09955-x.

Shah, Rahat, Imran Sabir, and Adeela Zaka. “Interdependence and Waithood: Exploration of Family Dynamics and Young Adults’ Life Course Trajectories in Pakistan.” Advances in Life Course Research 63 (March 2025): 100660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2025.100660.

Shihab, Quraish. Tafsir Al-Misbah. Jakarta: Lentera Hati, 2012.

Smith, Jonathan A., and Mike Osborn. “Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.” In Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods, by Jonathan A. Smith. 1 Oliver’s Yard, 55 City Road London EC1Y 1SP United States: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2024. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781036232764.n3.

Smith-Hefner, N., and Marcia C. Inhorn. “Introduction: Waithood, Gender, Education and Global Delays in Marriage and Childbearing.” Waithood: Gender, Education, and Global Delays in Marriage and Childbearing, 2020, 1–28.

Suyuti, Jalaluddin Abdurrahman al-. al-Asybah wa al-Nazha’ir li al-Suyutiy. Kairo: Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi, 1959.

Tapia, Jose Luis. “Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.” In Issues of Equity, 1st ed., by Johanna Creswell Báez, 17–21. London: Routledge, 2025. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003560128-5.

Tindall, Lucy. “J.A. Smith, P. Flower and M. Larkin (2009), Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research .: London: Sage.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 6, no. 4 (November 2009): 346–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780880903340091.

Zhong, Chensi, and Jennifer Wilkinson. “The Paradox of Women’s Marital Freedom: Nonlinear Individualization in Post-Reform China.” Theory and Society 54, no. 1 (February 2025): 119–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-025-09591-w.

Zuhaili, Wahbah al-. Ushul al-Fiqh al-Islāmiy. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 2005.