Application of the Maṣlaḥah Principle in the Resolution of Productive Waqf Disputes at the Religious Court: A Case Study in East Java
Keywords:
maṣlaḥah, productive waqf, religious Court, dispute resolution, East JavaAbstract
Productive waqf has emerged as a significant instrument of Islamic social finance in Indonesia, yet its expansion has generated a complex field of legal disputes that challenge the adjudicative capacities of the Religious Court. This study investigates the application of the Islamic legal principle of maṣlaḥah (public interest) by Religious Court judges in East Java when resolving disputes involving productive waqf assets. Employing a case study methodology with doctrinal legal analysis and semi-structured interviews with judges, the study examines five significant productive waqf dispute cases adjudicated by Religious Courts in East Java between 2018 and 2023. The findings reveal that maṣlaḥah functions as both a hermeneutic tool for statutory interpretation and an independent source of judicial reasoning in cases where positive law provisions are incomplete or inapplicable. Judges apply the principle through a hierarchy of considerations — prioritizing the preservation of waqf asset value and maximizing the benefit to the intended beneficiaries — while balancing the competing claims of waqif (endowers), nazhir (waqf managers), and beneficiaries. The study identifies significant variation in the application of maṣlaḥah across courts and calls for the development of more systematic judicial guidelines to ensure consistency and predictability in productive waqf dispute resolution.
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