The Marlojong Tradition Among the Mandailing People in Pasaman: A Study of Living Law in Islamic Family Law
Keywords:
living law, marlojong, Islamic family law, Mandailing customary law, customary marriageAbstract
The marlojong tradition among the Mandailing community in Pasaman remains a significant social practice within the dynamics of Islamic family law in Indonesia. This tradition occurs when a man and a woman choose to leave the woman's family home in order to obtain social and customary legitimacy due to the absence of parental or family approval for their intended marriage. The practice reflects a dynamic interaction between customary law, Islamic law, and state law in the daily lives of local Muslim communities. This article aims to analyze the marlojong tradition as a form of living law within the framework of Islamic family law among the Mandailing people in Pasaman. The study employs a normative legal research method combined with a socio-legal approach. Primary legal materials include Al-Qur'an, hadith, the Compilation of Islamic Law, and national marriage regulations, while secondary materials consist of classical fiqh works, anthropological studies, and relevant academic literature. The findings reveal that marlojong functions as a social mechanism to preserve family honor, resolve marriage-related conflicts, and maintain the relationship of couples who intend to marry. From the perspective of Islamic family law, the practice may be accepted as long as it fulfills the essential pillars and requirements of marriage and does not contradict the principle of maslahah. Nevertheless, the tradition also has the potential to create social and administrative problems if it is not accompanied by proper marriage registration and adequate protection of women's rights. This article argues that marlojong represents a form of social negotiation among customary norms, religious values, and state law, reflecting the existence of living law within local Muslim communities.
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