Faskh Law Reformulation in Malaysia: A Critical Examination of Terengganu Sharia Court Case

This research aimed to discuss the impact of drug addiction and domestic violence as prominent reasons for the pronouncement of faskh (annulment) in the Terengganu Sharia Court, Malaysia as observed in decisions 11003-014-0372-2010 and 11300-014-0011-2011. The decisions are unprecedented ijtihad of the Judges because the reasons are not found in almost all classical schools of fiqh and the most credible relevant literature. The reasons also remain unclear and have not been addressed by contemporary fiqh scholars from the perspective of maqaṣid al-sharīʻa. Therefore, this research examined how drug addiction and domestic violence became legitimate reasons for faskh and explored the implication for the contemporary reformulation of Islamic family law discourse. This study employed a qualitative theoretical framework for maqāṣid al-sharīʻa analysis that developed based on the contributions of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī and Abū Isḥāq al-Shāṭibī. The results showed that the addiction of the husband to drugs and instances of domestic violence could be the legitimate reasons for faskh synthesized within the maqāṣid framework to protect (ḥifẓ) religion (al-dīn), soul (al-nafs), mind (al-ʻaql), descendent (al-nasl), and wealth (al-māl). It was further observed that maqāṣid successfully reformed the classical fiqh on faskh based on contemporary social behaviours. The two primary contributions of this research included the (1) provision of empirical evidence related to the adaptability of Islamic law that leads to contemporary social challenges, and (2) the development of a theoretical framework for further legal reforms in the Islamic family law, which are capable of maintaining fidelity to maqāṣid al-sharīʻa principles while addressing modern societal changes.