<![CDATA[This article seeks to clarify the interpretation of qiwāmah through a critical analysis of QS. Al-Nisā’ [4]:34 in the context of changing gender roles and contemporary economic dynamics. The increasing financial independence of Muslim women has influenced understandings of the husband’s legal position within the family, even giving rise to the assumption that family leadership may be assumed by women. This study employs library research using a conceptual approach and descriptive-deductive analysis, integrating classical exegetical perspectives with contemporary socio-economic realities. The findings demonstrate that qiwāmah fundamentally constitutes a trust involving the responsibility to maintain and protect the family, rather than hierarchical superiority. Qiwāmah is not intended to position men as superior and women as inferior. Although financial roles may change, qiwāmah remains vested in the husband because transferring this mandate may create doctrinal inconsistency and disproportionate burdens. From a legal perspective, qiwāmah vested in men enables women to claim their right to maintenance and seek divorce when the husband fails to fulfill his obligations. Such consequences become difficult to reconcile if qiwāmah is vested in women, as women would assume responsibility for protection while losing their position as recipients of that responsibility. Socially, transferring qiwāmah may generate double burdens, obscure the protective function of family leadership, and weaken the structure of rights and obligations designed to protect women in Islamic family law. Thus, qiwāmah should be understood as an egalitarian and cooperative ethical framework that rejects domination. The verse on qiwāmah does not require women to honor men; rather, it requires men to honor women. Contribution: This study contributes to contemporary Islamic family law by reconceptualizing qiwāmah as an egalitarian and cooperative trust grounded in men’s responsibility to protect and maintain the family, while clarifying its legal implications for women’s rights amid changing gender roles and economic dynamics.]]>
