The modern discourse surrounding domestic life and Islamic jurisprudence in Indonesia has increasingly turned toward progressive, gender-just interpretations of scripture, challenging centuries-old patriarchal norms that have long defined marital roles in the archipelago. At the forefront of this theological evolution is Muhammadiyah, one of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organizations, which has actively sought to dismantle traditional misinterpretations of the term qiwamah. Historically, qiwamah has often been invoked by conservative commentators and domestic actors alike as an absolute mandate granting husbands unilateral authority, power, and unchecked control over their households. However, recent scholarly interventions by the organization’s high-ranking bodies have reframed this foundational concept, transforming it from a tool of dominance into a framework characterized by mutual responsibility, emotional reciprocity, protection, and shared governance.
This theological and sociological pivot was articulated during a high-profile session of the weekly Pengajian Tarjih, held on Wednesday, September 16. The event, organized by the Council for Tarjih and Renewal of the Central Leadership (PP) Muhammadiyah, served as a crucial platform for disseminating progressive family jurisprudence. Lailatis Syarifah, an esteemed member of the Majelis Tarjih and Tajdid PP Muhammadiyah, delivered a comprehensive lecture that sought to rescue the concept of qiwamah from patriarchal distortions. Her discourse directly addressed the lived realities of contemporary Indonesian families, where economic shifts, dual-income households, and changing social expectations demand a more flexible, equitable understanding of Islamic marital ethics.
The Theological Foundation of Sakinah: Beyond Patriarchal Power Dynamics
To understand Muhammadiyah’s progressive stance on qiwamah, one must first examine the broader theological architecture of the Keluarga Sakinah (tranquil family) concept championed by the organization. According to Lailatis Syarifah and prevailing Muhammadiyah jurisprudence, a harmonious Islamic marriage is not built upon a hierarchy of subjugation, but rather upon the Quranic principle of mitsāqan ghalīẓan—a solemn and robust covenant. This covenant binds not only the husband and wife to one another in mutual obligation, but simultaneously binds both parties in obedience and accountability to Allah SWT.
In traditional patriarchal frameworks, the marital contract is frequently reduced to a transaction where obedience is exchanged for financial maintenance. Muhammadiyah’s Tuntunan Menuju Keluarga Sakinah (Guidance Toward a Sakinah Family), however, explicitly rejects this transactional and oppressive paradigm. The document and its contemporary expositors argue that marriage must function as a sanctuary of mutual affection (mawaddah wa rahmah). Within this sanctuary, power dynamics are replaced by functional responsibilities.
Lailatis emphasized during the Pengajian Tarjih that qiwamah has fundamentally been misunderstood. Rather than denoting a political or absolute power structure within the domestic sphere, the term encapsulates a heavy moral and practical burden of care. "Qiwamah in the Guidance Toward a Sakinah Family is not a power relation, but rather a relationship of affection, a relationship of responsibility, and a relationship of protection," she stated before an audience of scholars, students, and community members. By stripping away the connotations of lordship and absolute command, Muhammadiyah reorients the marital relationship toward a partnership of equals who share the ultimate goal of spiritual and earthly well-being.
Deconstructing Qiwamah: Protection, Provision, and Partnership
To operationalize this redefined concept, Lailatis broke down the linguistic and functional dimensions of qiwamah as derived from classical and contemporary Islamic jurisprudence, contextualized for modern Indonesian society. The concept, she explained, is anchored in four primary pillars: al-himayah (the duty to defend), al-ri‘ayah (the duty to protect and nurture), al-wilayah (the duty to manage and oversee affairs), and al-kifayah (the duty to ensure sufficiency).
Crucially, none of these four pillars grant a husband the license to exercise arbitrary control or to demand unconditional submission in matters unrelated to Islamic virtue and well-being. "So al-qiwamah in the Guidance Toward a Sakinah Family is not domination, it is not absolute power, and certainly not enslavement. No one is enslaved here; we all enslave ourselves only to Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala," Lailatis firmly asserted.
This theological clarification has profound implications for how financial and domestic responsibilities are distributed. Traditionally, the burden of breadwinning has been viewed as the sole domain of the husband, which was then used to justify his absolute authority. Muhammadiyah’s framework, however, recognizes the fluidity of modern economic realities. If a husband falls ill, faces prolonged unemployment, or earns a modest income, the responsibility of financial provision is designed to be shared flexibly.
In contemporary Indonesia, where urban inflation and economic pressures have driven millions of women into the formal and informal workforce, dual-income families are increasingly the norm rather than the exception. Lailatis pointed out that when both husbands and wives work, the economic contributions made by wives do not merely supplement household income; they represent an active, joint effort to maintain the integrity and sustainability of the family unit. Consequently, financial participation by a wife does not diminish her status, nor does a low-income husband lose his inherent dignity—provided both parties fulfill their duties through consultation (shura) and mutual respect.
Shifting Paradigms on Obedience, Rights, and Marital Harmony
The reinterpretation of qiwamah naturally necessitates a parallel re-evaluation of obedience (ta’at) within the household. In conservative interpretations, a wife’s obedience is often framed as absolute, requiring compliance with any lawful demand made by the husband. Muhammadiyah’s progressive jurisprudence dismantles this notion by conditioning obedience on ethical correctness and divine law.
According to the council’s teachings, a wife is only obligated to obey her husband in matters that pertain to truth, goodness, and Islamic values. If a husband issues a directive that contradicts moral principles, religious ethics, or common sense, the wife is under no religious obligation to comply. Furthermore, obedience is detached from economic metrics; a wife’s respect for her husband is not contingent upon the size of his paycheck, just as a husband’s authority cannot be leveraged to humiliate or demean his spouse.
Conversely, the husband’s role as the bearer of qiwamah carries stringent behavioral requirements. A husband is religiously mandated to treat his wife ma’ruf (honorably and equitably). This includes providing financial maintenance to the best of his earnest ability, safeguarding her honor and physical well-being, actively avoiding domestic violence, engaging in emotional attentiveness, and supporting her personal development, education, and professional aspirations.
"So qiwamah is a trust (amanah)," Lailatis explained. "The greater the position of qiwamah, the greater the responsibility, and therefore the greater the obligation to protect, to provide maintenance, to treat one’s partner well, to listen, and to engage in consultation."
This mutual accountability establishes a checks-and-balances system within the Islamic family. A wife possesses the agency—and the religious duty—to gently correct and remind her husband when he falters or neglects his responsibilities, mirroring the husband’s duty to guide his family toward righteousness. Rather than a top-down corporate structure, the Muhammadiyah model envisions a collaborative partnership where grievances are resolved through dialogue and mutual consensus rather than coercion.
Socio-Religious Background and Institutional Context
The timing and venue of these discussions reflect Muhammadiyah’s long-standing institutional commitment to social reform through education and theological guidance. The Pengajian Tarjih is a staple intellectual forum hosted periodically by the Central Leadership of Muhammadiyah, specifically driven by its Majelis Tarjih and Tajdid—the authoritative body responsible for issuing religious edicts (fatwa) and guiding the socio-religious life of its millions of members.
Founded in 1912 by Ahmad Dahlan, Muhammadiyah has historically positioned itself as a reformist, modernist Islamic movement. While deeply committed to scriptural authenticity (Quran and Sunnah), the organization has consistently utilized ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) to address contemporary social issues, including women’s rights, national integration, and education. The formulation of the Tuntunan Menuju Keluarga Sakinah represents a decades-long institutional effort to codify progressive family values that empower Muslim women while preserving the sacred sanctity of the nuclear family.
In recent years, Indonesian civil society organizations, including both Muhammadiyah and its counterpart Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), have intensified efforts to combat domestic violence, child marriage, and patriarchal extremism. By publishing comprehensive guidelines on gender equality within the family, these organizations provide grassroots religious leaders, preachers (mubaligh), and community counselors with theological ammunition to counter radicalized or rigidly patriarchal interpretations of Islam that frequently manifest in cases of domestic abuse.
Broader Implications for Indonesian Society and Muslim Modernity
The dissemination of these egalitarian family concepts carries significant socio-political and cultural implications for contemporary Indonesia. As the nation grapples with complex socioeconomic transitions, the structure of the family unit is undergoing rapid transformation. Issues such as rising divorce rates, domestic violence reporting, and the economic empowerment of women have made traditional, rigid interpretations of marital roles increasingly untenable and socially hazardous.
By redefining qiwamah as an ethic of care rather than a mandate for control, Muhammadiyah bridges the gap between traditional Islamic jurisprudence and universal human rights standards concerning gender equality. This theological framing is particularly impactful because it is rooted entirely in classical Islamic methodologies, rendering it authoritative and persuasive to pious Muslim communities who might otherwise view secular feminist discourses with suspicion.
Furthermore, this perspective fosters healthier domestic environments that directly correlate with improved psychological well-being for children and spouses alike. When decision-making is shared through shura and when emotional labor is recognized as equally valuable to financial provision, households are demonstrably more resilient against economic shocks and interpersonal conflicts.
As Lailatis Syarifah concluded in her lecture, the ultimate realization of a tranquil family relies on the shared consciousness of both partners. "A sakinah family is built by a husband and wife who both fulfill Allah’s trust fairly, respect one another, strengthen one another, and treat one another honorably." Through such continuous intellectual and pastoral efforts, Muhammadiyah continues to shape a modern, compassionate, and egalitarian expression of Islam suited to the realities of the twenty-first century.
