Controversies Over Underage Marriage in the Digital Era A Sadd Al-Dhari'ah Perspective

Abstract

Underage marriage remains a contested issue in Muslim societies because religious, cultural, legal, and social considerations often produce different understandings of the appropriate age for marriage. The issue has become increasingly complex in the digital era, in which adolescents are exposed to diverse forms of information, social interaction, and cultural influence that may shape their attitudes toward marriage. This study aims to analyze the position and application of sadd al-dzariʿah in Islamic family law and examine its relevance to the regulation of underage marriage in Indonesia. The study employs qualitative library research using a conceptual and normative approach. Data were obtained from classical Islamic legal works, contemporary Islamic family law literature, academic journal articles, and legal scholarship concerning marriage age and child protection. Data were collected through systematic literature tracing and analyzed through qualitative descriptive and analytical techniques by identifying the relationship between permissible acts, potential harm, and preventive legal intervention. The findings show that sadd al-dzariʿah provides a preventive framework for restricting an otherwise permissible act when its implementation has a strong potential to generate significant harm. In the context of underage marriage, the potential harms include disruption of education, reproductive-health risks, psychological immaturity, household instability, divorce, and vulnerability to domestic violence. The study concludes that Indonesia's minimum marriage-age regulation can be conceptually understood through sadd al-dzariʿah because it seeks to prevent foreseeable harm and protect family welfare. Future studies should empirically examine how this preventive principle operates in religious-court decisions and local communities.