Muslim Widows’ Lived Experiences in Navigating Inheritance Rights in Indonesian Religious Courts

Abstract

Islamic inheritance law represents a vital intersection between religious doctrine, social norms, and gender dynamics in Muslim-majority societies. While doctrinal clarity exists, the lived experiences of women particularly widows navigating inheritance processes remain underexplored. Previous research has largely focused on legal procedures and theoretical principles, leaving unanswered how Muslim widows personally experience and interpret the pursuit of their inheritance rights within religious court systems. This study uses a descriptive phenomenological approach to explore how justice, agency, and identity are subjectively constructed through this legal journey. In-depth interviews were conducted with nine Muslim widows who had pursued inheritance claims in Indonesian religious courts, and data were analyzed thematically using Colaizzi’s method. The findings reveal four major themes: feelings of powerlessness in the legal system, social stigma and family pressure, strategies of resilience, and moral reinterpretation of justice through faith. These themes uncover the complex emotional and spiritual dimensions of legal experience that are often absent in normative analyses. The study deepens our understanding of justice as a lived experience and offers a foundation for culturally grounded legal advocacy. These insights hold potential for future research on gender-sensitive reform and experiential legal studies in other Islamic contexts. However, this study is limited by its small sample size, focus on a single national context, and reliance on self-reported narratives, which may not fully capture the diversity of widows’ experiences across different regions or legal settings. Acknowledging these limitations helps contextualize the findings and underscores the need for broader comparative research.