Lived Experience of Muslim Converts Practicing Islamic Inheritance in Non-Muslim Families
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Abstract
Islamic inheritance law plays a significant role in shaping family dynamics and legal responsibilities, especially among individuals navigating religious identity transitions. Within this context, the experiences of Muslim converts engaging with Islamic inheritance law in non-Muslim family environments remain underexplored. Although existing studies focus on legal structures and doctrinal analysis, little is known about how converts subjectively experience the application of Islamic inheritance principles in pluralistic societies. This study investigates how Muslim converts interpret and enact Islamic inheritance law within the cultural and emotional tensions of non-Muslim family settings. Employing an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA), this qualitative study explores the lived experiences of eight adult Muslim converts (aged 30–55, with conversion periods ranging from 3 to 15 years) residing in urban multicultural settings in Southeast Asia. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted between January and March 2025, and were analyzed thematically to identify patterns of meaning across individual narratives. The findings reveal that inheritance practices among converts are shaped by deep internal conflicts involving spiritual obligation, familial loyalty, and cultural dissonance. Participants reported navigating emotional dilemmas, legal ambiguities, and identity negotiations as they sought to reconcile Islamic legal norms with non-Muslim family expectations. These insights underscore the dynamic interplay between personal belief systems and legal pluralism, illustrating Islamic inheritance law as a lived and contested practice rather than a fixed code. The study’s contribution lies in offering a culturally grounded understanding of legal consciousness among minority religious actors, thereby advancing discourse in legal anthropology, Islamic legal studies, and policy frameworks that address religious diversity in family law.
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