Unregistered Polygamy Among Public Figures: A Socio-Legal Analysis of Marital Consent and Islamic Family Law in Indonesia
Main Article Content
Abstract
The issue of unregistered polygamous marriage without the consent of the first wife continues to generate debate within the discourse of Islamic family law in Indonesia, particularly when such practices involve public figures whose personal actions attract broad public attention. This study aims to analyze the legal status and socio-legal implications of unregistered polygamous marriages conducted without the consent of the first wife within the framework of Indonesian Islamic family law. The research employs a qualitative approach using a socio-legal method that combines doctrinal analysis of legal regulations with an examination of social dynamics surrounding the practice of marriage. The study focuses on the interaction between Islamic jurisprudential principles, national marriage legislation, and public discourse, with particular reference to the public controversy involving Inara Rusli and Insanul Fahmi. The findings show that Indonesian marriage law, particularly Law No. 1 of 1974 and the Compilation of Islamic Law, establishes a regulatory framework that permits polygamy under strict conditions, including judicial approval, financial capability, and the consent of the first wife. However, the practice of unregistered marriage allows individuals to bypass these legal requirements, creating a gap between religious legitimacy and legal recognition. When such practices involve public figures, the issue often evolves into a broader public debate concerning the relationship between religious norms, state legal authority, and social perceptions of marriage. The study concludes that strengthening legal awareness and ensuring compliance with marriage registration procedures are essential for protecting family rights and maintaining legal certainty within Indonesian Islamic family law
Downloads
Metrics
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
License Terms
In submitting the manuscript to the journal, the authors certify that:
- They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
- The work described has not been formally published before, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, thesis, or overlay journal.
- That it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
- That its publication has been approved by all the author(s) and by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
- They secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.
- They agree to the following license and copyright agreement.
References
Abela, A. M. (2023). (2023). Constructing Women and Femininity in 20th Century Egyptian Novels: A Comparative Study of Nawal El Saadawi’s Imraʾtani Fi Imraʾa and Naguib Mahfouz’sAl-Shahhadh. https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/113280
Abisatya, B., & Prasetyo, G. (2024). Analysis of Islamic Law on the Practice of Siri Marriage in the Digital Era: Legal, Social, and Policy Implications. SYARIAT: Akhwal Syaksiyah, Jinayah, Siyasah and Muamalah, 1(2), 105–114. https://doi.org/10.35335/29t0rg67
Addzaky, K. U., Taufiqurohman, & Asy’ari, M. (2025). Deconstruction of Hifdzun Nasl in Maqasid Syari’ah: Analysis of the Childfree Phenomenon from the Perspective of Islamic Family Law. IN RIGHT: Jurnal Agama Dan Hak Azazi Manusia, 14(1), 111–133. https://doi.org/10.14421/inright.v14i1.4164
Adriyeni, A. A., Wahyuni, Z., & Daipon, D. (2024). Philosophical Examination of the Itsbat Nikah (Marriage Legalization) in Sirri Polygamy Following the Issuance of Supreme Court Circular No. 3 of 2018. HUMANISMA: Journal of Gender Studies, 8(1), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.30983/humanisma.v8i1.8266
Afifah, A., & Masrokhin, M. (2021). Tinjauan Madzhab Syafi’i Terhadap UU Perkawinan Nomor 1/1994 Tentang Syarat Adanya Izin Istri Dalam Poligami. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Law, 4(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.35719/ijil.v4i2.450
Alfa Thoriqotur Rizqi, Q. A. (2022). Realitas Pernikahan Beda Agama Perspektif Ibnu Hazm. Mabahits : Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Islam, 3(2), 95–108. https://doi.org/10.62097/mabahits.v3i2.1057
Alhadiansyah, A., Prihatin, A., & Susila, S. (2026). Expansion of Functions and Role of Mediators in Polygamy Permit Cases to Enforce the Principles of Monogamy. Journal of Social Research, 5(3), 1263–1275. https://doi.org/10.55324/josr.v5i3.3041
Alqawasmi, A. (2024). Legal Pluralism’s Perspectives and Human Rights Challenges in Marriage and Divorce Norms: The Case of Muslims in Europe. In Relationships Rights and Legal Pluralism. Routledge.
Alshahrani, B. N. S. (2018). Male Guardianship Over Women Under Islamic Shariah, Saudi Arabia’s Domestic Law and International Human Rights Law [Thesis, Brunel University London]. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/18908
Andrews, K. T., & Caren, N. (2010). Making the News: Movement Organizations, Media Attention, and the Public Agenda. American Sociological Review, 75(6), 841–866. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122410386689
Anggraeni, R. D., & Primadianti, D. (2021). Perlindungan Hukum Pihak Istri Dalam Pengajuan Khulu’ Berdasarkan Kompilasi Hukum Islam Dihubungkan Dengan Undang-Undang Nomor 16 Tahun 2019 Tentang Perubahan Atas Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 1974 Tentang Perkawinan. Mizan: Journal of Islamic Law, 5(1), 101–122. https://doi.org/10.32507/mizan.v5i1.999
Ardi, M. Z., & Shuhufi, N. H. (2024). Islamic Law and Local Tradition: Living Appasili Marriage in Takalar Regency Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Law, 7(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.35719/ijil.v7i1.2114
Ashim, Isman, & Rosyadi, I. (2025). Analysis Of Murabaha To The Purchase Orderer In Islamic Jurisprudence And Dsn-Mui Fatwas Applications. Journal of Islamic Economics Perspectives, 7(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.35719/mdnbaq53
Aşkun, V., & Erkoyuncu, M. (2023). Sustainability of Human Development Through Governance: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Countries. Abant Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 23(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.11616/asbi.1327959
Aziz, N., Rispalman, R., & Anggraini, T. (2023). Polygamy in the Perspective of Tafsīr Al-Aḥkām and Islamic Law: An Examination of the Gayo Luwes Community in Aceh, Indonesia. Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam, 7(3), 1682–1707. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i3.20021
Banoo, S. (2024). Rules of marriage in Islam:A comprehensive analysis. 11(4).
Bowen, J. R. (2004). Beyond Migration: Islam as a Transnational Public Space. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 30(5), 879–894. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183042000245598
Bowen, J. R. (2009). Can Islam be French?: Pluralism and pragmatism in a secularist state. https://www.torrossa.com/gs/resourceProxy?an=5574091&publisher=FZO137
Clarke, V., & Braun, V. (2017). Thematic analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 12(3), 297–298. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2016.1262613
Coulson, N. J. (1957). The State and the Individual in Islamic Law. International & Comparative Law Quarterly, 6(1), 49–60. https://doi.org/10.1093/iclqaj/6.1.49
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (third edition). SAGE.
Dommaraju, P., & Tan, J. (2024). Going against global marriage trends: The declining age at first marriage in Indonesia. Asian Population Studies, 20(2), 144–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441730.2023.2193488
Dupret, B. (2007). What Is Islamic Law?: A Praxiological Answer and an Egyptian Case Study. Theory, Culture & Society, 24(2), 79–100. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276407074997
Fajar, M., & Kartika, L. (2021). Fiqh Analysis of the Age Limit for Marriage and Its Implications for Children’s Welfare. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Law, 4(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.35719/ijil.v4i1.2040
Fannani, A. I., Khaliqurrahman, A., & Rania, I. (2024). Balancing Justice and Tradition: An Islamic Legal Perspective on Constitutional Court Rulings Regarding Marriage Age. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Law, 7(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.35719/e2ay6682
Farooq-e-Azam, Rubab, I., Salahuddin, A., & Usman, A. (2021). Polygamy in Islam: Cultural Pressures and Religious Justifications in Pakistan. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, 11(2), 245–257. https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.112.13
Hafen, B. C. (1983). The Constitutional Status of Marriage, Kinship, and Sexual Privacy: Balancing the Individual and Social Interests. Michigan Law Review, 81(3), 463–574. https://doi.org/10.2307/1288509
Halim, H. A. (2024). Review of Islamic Marriage Law and Gender Justice Towards SEMA Number 3 Of 2018 Concerning Rejection of Isbat Polygamy Cases in Religious Courts. Journal of Family Law and Islamic Court, 3(2).
Hamayotsu, K. (2015). [Review of Review of Islamic Law in Contemporary Indonesia: Ideas and Institutions, R. Michael Feener and Mark E. Cammack, eds., by eds. R. Michael Feener and Mark E. Cammack]. Indonesia, (99), 113–118. https://doi.org/10.5728/indonesia.99.0113
Hartley, R. I., & Sturm, P. (1997). Triangulation. Computer Vision and Image Understanding, 68(2), 146–157. https://doi.org/10.1006/cviu.1997.0547
Hasanah, N., & Niskaromah. (2025). The Phenomenon of Siri Marriage in Indonesia: A Review of Munakahat Fiqh. Zabags International Journal of Islamic Studies, 2(1), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.61233/zijis.v2i1.14
Heale, R., & Twycross, A. (2018). What is a case study? Evidence-Based Nursing, 21(1), 7–8. https://doi.org/10.1136/eb-2017-102845
Ja’far, A. K., Santoso, R., & Hermanto, A. (2020). A Sociohistorical Study of Polygamy and Justice. 338–342. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201113.064
Kamali, M. H. (1999). ‘Maqasid Al-Shari’ah’: The Objectives of Islamic Law. Islamic Studies, 38(2), 193–208.
Kamali, M. H. (2022). Between Separation and Unity: The Interplay of Law and Morality in Islamic Jurisprudence. In Sharia Law in the Twenty-First Century (pp. 21–46). World Scientific. https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/pdf/10.1142/q0344#page=68
Kovanović, V., Joksimović, S., Gašević, D., Siemens, G., & Hatala, M. (2015). What public media reveals about MOOCs: A systematic analysis of news reports. British Journal of Educational Technology, 46(3), 510–527. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12277
Kurniawan, B., Purwanto, E., & Tehtae, S. (2022). Between Islamic Law and Human Rights: Ambiguous Regulation Regarding Polygamy in Indonesia. Al’Adalah, 25(2), 261–268. https://doi.org/10.35719/aladalah.v25i2.312
Kusnandar, D., & Rahma, F. (2023). Optimizing Legal Protection for Divorce Outside of Court: Study of the Need for Divorce Isbat in the Indonesian Legal System. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Law, 6(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.35719/ijil.v6i2.2010
Lianne, G., Tuleen, J., Rahman, I. A., Daulet, N., & Alyautdinov, S. (2025). Reconfiguring Hanafi Jurisprudence in Central Asia: A Comparative Study of Contemporary Uzbek Islamic Legal Thought and Classical Transoxanian Usul al-Fiqh. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Law, 8(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.35719/sych6h79
Lindsey, T. (2008). Indonesia, Law and Society. Federation Press.
Marcotte, R. D. (2001). Šaḥrūr, the Status of Women, and Polygamy in Islam. Oriente Moderno, 20 (81) (2/3), 313–328.
Menski, W. (2020). European Islam in the Age of Globalisation and Legal Pluralism: Not Easy Being European. NAVEIÑ REET: Nordic Journal of Law and Social Research, (10), 187–210. https://doi.org/10.7146/nnjlsr.v1i10.125697
Nasution, H., & Muchtar, A. R. (2024). Negotiating Islamic Law: The Practice of Inheritance Distribution in Polygamous Marriages in Indonesian Islamic Courts. Al-Manahij: Jurnal Kajian Hukum Islam, 125–144. https://doi.org/10.24090/mnh.v18i1.10921
Nilan, P. (2008). Youth transitions to urban, middle-class marriage in Indonesia: Faith, family and finances. Journal of Youth Studies, 11(1), 65–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676260701690402
Nisa, E. F. (2018). The Bureaucratization of Muslim Marriage in Indonesia. Journal of Law and Religion, 33(2), 291–309. https://doi.org/10.1017/jlr.2018.28
Nur, M. (2024). Contextualization of Polygamy Law; Justification of Islamic Legal Principles against Positive Regulations in Indonesia. Jurisprudensi: Jurnal Ilmu Syariah, Perundang-Undangan Dan Ekonomi Islam, 16(2), 273–287. https://doi.org/10.32505/jurisprudensi.v16i2.8108
Nurlaelawati, E. (2013). Muslim Women in Indonesian Religious Courts. Islamic Law and Society, 20(3), 242–271. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685195-0010A0003
Oviedo-García, M. Á. (n.d.). Journal citation reports and the definition of a predatory journal: The case of the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI). Retrieved 12 March 2026, from https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvab020
Pangestu, R. D., & Muharman, D. (2023). Misalignment of Legal Rules for Recording Marriages Between Religious Couples in Indonesia. The International Journal of Politics and Sociology Research, 10(4), 231–241. https://doi.org/10.35335/ijopsor.v10i4.78
Rauf, M. A. (2018). The Islamic Law Epistemology Thought of Perspective Wael B. Hallaq And Relevance To Islamic Law In Indonesia: Islamic Law. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Law, 1(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.35719/ijil.v1i1.71
Rehman, J. (2007). The Sharia, Islamic Family Laws and International Human Rights Law: Examining the Theory and Practice of Polygamy and Talaq. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 21(1), 108–127. https://doi.org/10.1093/lawfam/ebl023
Rumble, L., Peterman, A., Irdiana, N., Triyana, M., & Minnick, E. (2018). An empirical exploration of female child marriage determinants in Indonesia. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 407. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5313-0
Tsaqilan, F. Q. (2025). Transforming Legal Values amid Modern and Traditional Social Dynamics A Socio-Legal Perspective. Fast in Humanities, 1(2), 11–19.
Uscinski, J. E. (2009). When Does the Public’s Issue Agenda Affect the Media’s Issue Agenda (and Vice-Versa)? Developing a Framework for Media-Public Influence. Social Science Quarterly, 90(4), 796–815. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2009.00663.x
Watoni, L. S. (2025). A Literature Study on Polygamy Practices in the Context of Islamic Law and Indonesian Legal Framework. Journal of Islamic Religious Studies, 2(2), 225–233.
Wyatt, W. N. (2012). Blame Narratives and the News: An Ethical Analysis. Journalism & Communication Monographs, 14(3), 153–208. https://doi.org/10.1177/1522637912451435