Inequality of Rights in Verstek Divorce: Islamic Law Perspective and Practices in Religious Courts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59065/jissr.v5i1.175Keywords:
verstek divorce, husband’s obligations, islamic law, judicial enforcement, religious courtsAbstract
Verstek divorce rulings, where one party does not attend court proceedings, often result in inequalities in fulfilling the rights of ex-wives. This study explores the legal obligations of husbands toward their former spouses in verstek divorce cases, analyzing both Islamic legal principles and judicial practices in Indonesian Religious Courts. Using an empirical juridical approach, this research was conducted at the Watampone Religious Court Class IA through legal document analysis and interviews with judges and other key stakeholders. The findings indicate that while Islamic law mandates husbands to provide financial support to their ex-wives, including nafkah iddah (maintenance during the waiting period) and nafkah mut’ah (consolation gifts), these provisions are often not enforced effectively in verstek decisions. The absence of the husband in court proceedings significantly affects the judicial process, limiting the court’s ability to ensure compliance. Additionally, many women lack legal awareness, leading to challenges in claiming their rights. Even when courts rule in favor of ex-wives, enforcing financial obligations remains a major issue due to weak legal execution mechanisms. This study highlights the urgent need for improved legal frameworks and enforcement strategies to protect women’s rights in verstek divorce cases. Strengthening legal aid services, increasing judicial oversight, and enhancing post-divorce monitoring mechanisms are essential steps to ensure the equitable implementation of Islamic family law.Downloads
References
Abdullah, M. H., & Zin, N. M. (2009). Historical Developments of Financial Rights after Divorce in the Malaysian Islamic Family Law. Asian Culture and History, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.5539/ach.v1n2p148
Ahmed, N. (2018). Survival Patterns of Deserted Women in Bangladesh. Sociology and Anthropology, 6(7), 602–608. https://doi.org/10.13189/sa.2018.060705
Ansar, Farida, U., Yahya, M., Yusriadi, Y., & Bin-Tahir, S. Z. (2019). Institutional economic analysis of bugis merchants in the inter-island trade. International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research, 8(8), 149–152. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85070862100&partnerID=40&md5=a72cfe916b358ecfa0172480f407ef8a
Azizah, N. (2020). The Regulation of Marital Registration In Indonesia and Muslim Countries. FITRAH: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu-Ilmu Keislaman, 5(2), 301–312. https://doi.org/10.24952/fitrah.v5i2.1927
Barnwell, B. J., & Stone, M. H. (2016). Treating High Conflict Divorce. Universal Journal of Psychology, 4(2), 109–115. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujp.2016.040206
Bernadtua Simanjuntak, M., Zuriyati, Z., Rini Utami, S., Rahmat, A., & Setiadi, S. (2023). Fostering Intercultural Understanding and Environmental Consciousness in Maritime Education. BIO Web of Conferences, 79, 06004. https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/20237906004
Claessens, E., & Mortelmans, D. (2021). The female payer: Gender differences in characteristics among child support payers. The British Journal of Sociology, 72(3), 829–844. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12823
Fawole, O. I. (2008). Economic Violence To Women and Girls. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 9(3), 167–177. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838008319255
Htun, M. N., & Weldon, L. (2013). Politics of Women’s Rights in Family Law: Religion, the State, and the Barriers to Reform. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2259288
Humphreys, C., & Thiara, R. K. (2003). Neither justice nor protection: women’s experiences of post‐separation violence. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 25(3), 195–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/0964906032000145948
Insani, F. R., Hayatuddin, K., Saptawan, A., & Is, M. S. (2023). The Verstek Law Implementation In Religious Courts In South Sumatera. Nurani: Jurnal Kajian Syari’ah Dan Masyarakat, 23(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.19109/nurani.v23i1.16030
Laakso, J. H. (2002). Key Determinants of a Mother’s Decision to File for Child Support. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 83(2), 153–162. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.33
Logan, T., Shannon, L., & Walker, R. (2005). Protective Orders in Rural and Urban Areas. Violence Against Women, 11(7), 876–911. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801205276985
Mortelmans, D. (2020). Economic Consequences of Divorce: A Review (pp. 23–41). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44575-1_2
Nikmawati, Ansar, Abdullah, R., Usman, J., Yusriadi, Y., Yusuf, O. Y. H., & Parta, I. B. M. W. (2021). Analysis of household economic conditions and community habits on the incidence of anemia in pregnant women through household nutrition management in the working area of the salugatta health center, central mamuju regency. Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, 3324–3331. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85121122982&partnerID=40&md5=7aa35b5435444f90a1b4a7d6ce2901d3
Omar, S. (2014). Marriage in Islam: Life Partnership or Discriminatory Family Set Up? An Analysis of Some Protective Legal and Moral Shariah Provisions for Women with Special Reference to Surah An-Nisa. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2492224
Sani, Dr. A. M. (2020). Divorce and Muslim Women in North-western Nigeria: A Challenge to the Muslim Ummah. JOURNAL OF ISLAMIC STUDIES AND CULTURE, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.15640/jisc.v8n2a2
Shepard, M. F., & Hagemeister, A. K. (2013). Perspectives of Rural Women. Affilia, 28(2), 165–176. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109913490469
Shin, C., Tuah, D., & Yusriadi, Y. (2022). An Initial Qualitative Exploration of Economic, Cultural, and Language Changes in Telok Melano, Sarawak, Malaysia. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052655
Shpuza, D. (2015). Some Issues about the Decisions of the Courts for Divorce in Albania. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n5p76
Singh, A., & Maseko, T. W. (2006). The protection of prisoners’ rights to health care services in South African law: is it adequate? Journal for Juridical Science, 31(1), 80–100.
Stylianou, A. M. (2018). Economic Abuse Within Intimate Partner Violence: A Review of the Literature. Violence and Victims, 33(1), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.33.1.3
Sudirman L, S. L., Bahri S, A., Faisal, A., & Lahaji. (2023). Peace Efforts in the Divorce Cases: An Analysis on Verstek’s Decision at the Religious Courts. Al-Ulum, 23(1), 213–239. https://doi.org/10.30603/au.v23i1.3735
Sunyoto, S. (2021). Women and Children’s Rights Claims in a Disclaimer Case at Religious Courts. Damhil Law Journal, 1(2), 101. https://doi.org/10.56591/dlj.v1i2.855
Yassari, N. (2002). Iranian Family Law in Theory and Practice. Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law Online, 9(1), 43–64. https://doi.org/10.1163/22112987-91000006
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ridmajayanti, Alwi Jaya, Arifullah, Jumra, Nurmisari

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following conditions:
- Authors retain the copyright of their work while granting the journal the right of first publication. The published work is licensed under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). This license permits others to share and adapt the work, provided that proper credit is given to the original author(s) and the journal as the initial publisher.
- Authors may establish separate, additional agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of their published work (e.g., depositing it in an institutional repository or including it in a book), as long as they acknowledge its original publication in this journal.
- Authors must sign a copyright transfer agreement once they have reviewed and approved the final proof provided by JISSR before publication.