UNREGISTERED POLYGAMY (POLIGAMI SIRI) IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF MAQĀṢID AL-SHARĪ‘AH AND THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN INDONESIA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33650/jhi.v10i3.15168
Authors

(1) * Fauzi Rahmat Pamula   (Universitas Pamulang Tangerang Selatan)  
        Indonesia
(2)  Itang Itang   (Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten)  
        Indonesia
(3)  Dede Rohayati   (Universitas Pamulang Tangerang Selatan)  
        Indonesia
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


The practice of unregistered polygamous marriage (poligami siri) in Indonesia reflects a persistent tension between religious legitimacy and state legal recognition, resulting in significant implications for the protection of women’s and children’s rights. This study aims to analyze the practice of poligami siri within the Indonesian legal context, evaluate its compatibility with maqāṣid al-syarī‘ah, and examine its implications for legal protection. This research employs a normative juridical method, utilizing statutory, conceptual (maqāṣid al-syarī‘ah), and case approaches, supported by primary and secondary legal materials. The findings reveal that although poligami siri may fulfill formal requirements of classical Islamic jurisprudence, it often contradicts the substantive objectives of maqāṣid, particularly in the protection of lineage, property, life, and dignity. The practice leads to legal uncertainty, limited access to justice, economic vulnerability, and structural discrimination against women and children. This study concludes that the permissibility of polygamy must be reinterpreted based on public welfare (malaah), emphasizing substantive justice and the necessity of marriage registration as part of maqāṣid fulfillment. Strengthening the integration between Islamic legal values and state law is essential to ensure comprehensive legal protection. The main contribution of this article lies in offering a maqāṣid-based reconstruction of polygamy by shifting the analysis from formal legal validity toward substantive justice and public welfare (malaah).

Keywords : Poligami Siri; Maqāid al-Sharī‘ah; Marriage Registration; Women’s Rights; Children’s Rights.





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