Al-Mujtahid: Journal of Islamic Family Law
Vol 6, No 1 (2026)

Disability-Sensitive Nafkah: Formal Equality and Substantive Justice in Indonesian Islamic Family Law

Muliadi Nur (Institut Agama Islam Negeri Manado)
Afiah Nurrizky (Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta)
Yevhen Leheza (Dnipro Humanitarian University)
Muhammad Sukri (Institut Agama Islam Negeri Manado)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jun 2026

Abstract

This article examines how nafkah obligations should be interpreted for husbands with disabilities within Indonesian Islamic family law. It evaluates whether the existing legal framework, particularly the Marriage Law and the Compilation of Islamic Law, provides only formal equality or also supports substantive justice. Using normative juridical research with statutory, conceptual, and justice-based approaches, this study analyzes legal provisions, disability rights principles, Islamic family law doctrine, and scholarly debates on equality, proportionality, and maintenance. The novelty of this article lies in the development of a disability-sensitive framework for nafkah that integrates disability rights, substantive equality, maqāṣid-oriented justice, and Islamic maintenance doctrine. The study finds that Indonesian law formally attaches nafkah obligations to all husbands, including husbands with disabilities, without explicit mechanisms for exemption, suspension, or restructuring. This creates formal equality, but may fail to ensure substantive justice when disability produces structural barriers to employment, income, and social participation. The phrase “according to his ability” provides a normative basis for proportional assessment, yet remains underdeveloped without disability-sensitive judicial standards and institutional support. This article argues that nafkah should be interpreted proportionally to protect the wife’s right to maintenance while recognizing the actual capacity and vulnerability of husbands with disabilities.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

almujtahid

Publisher

Subject

Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice

Description

Al-Mujtahid: Journal of Islamic Family Law mainly focuses on Islamic Family Law and Islamic Law. with various approaches of normative, philosophy, history, sociology, anthropology, theology, psychology, and is intended to communicate the original researches and current issues on the subject. ...