<![CDATA[This study analyzes the dialectic between customary norms and Islamic law in the social regulation of widowers seeking to remarry after the death of their wives, with particular focus on the sociocultural context of Pidie Regency, Aceh. In a communal society characterized by a matrilateral kinship system, there is a social expectation that widowers should demonstrate a period of mourning, empathy, and loyalty toward the deceased wife’s family by postponing remarriage. Although this expectation is not explicitly stipulated in formal provisions of either customary law or Islamic law, it has evolved into a mechanism of social control maintained through customary institutional structures, particularly the Aceh Customary Council (Majelis Adat Aceh). At the regency and sub-district levels. This study employs a descriptive qualitative approach by exploring the perspectives of community members, customary leaders, the deceased wife’s family, and widowers regarding the socially appropriate timing for remarriage. The findings indicate that such social restrictions constitute a form of normative compromise between customary values oriented toward family honor, kinship solidarity, and social stability, and the principles of Islamic law, which fundamentally do not prescribe a waiting period for widowers before remarrying. The dialectic between these two normative systems produces a hybrid norm that is not legally binding but possesses strong social influence and functions as a behavioral guideline within the Pidie community. These findings demonstrate that the relationship between customary norms and Islamic law does not necessarily take the form of subordination of one normative system to the other; rather, it may generate a process of negotiation and the formation of new social norms rooted in the local context.]]>
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