Marriage Between Religious Validity, Social Legitimacy, and State Recognition: Operationalizing Legal Pluralism In Unregistered and Online Marriages In Indonesia

Ni’amillah Ni’amillah; Ahmad Yani; Neily El’Izzah; Muhammad Adieb; Muhammad Al Baaqir Muladawilah; Randy Vallentino Neonbeni

doi:10.52496/mjhki.v4i2.138

Authors

Ni’amillah Ni’amillah Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, Indonesia Author
Ahmad Yani Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, Indonesia Author
Neily El’Izzah Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, Indonesia Author
Muhammad Adieb Institut Pesantren Babakan Cirebon, Indonesia Author
Muhammad Al Baaqir Muladawilah Al-Ahgaff University Author
Randy Vallentino Neonbeni Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Hukum Cendana Wangi, Indonesia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52496/mjhki.v4i2.138

Keywords:

Unregistered Marriage, Online Marriage, Legal Pluralism, Religious Validity, State Recognition, Marriage Registration, Digital Marriage

Abstract

This study analyzes serial marriage and digital technology-mediated marriage in Indonesia through the perspective of legal pluralism as an analytical framework. This study departs from the issue of insynchronization between religious validity, social legitimacy, and state recognition in marriage practices, especially in the context of digital transformation. The research uses normative juridical methods combined with a review of integrative literature and socio-legal sensitivity, without claiming the existence of empirical field research. Primary legal materials include laws and regulations in the field of marriage, Compilation of Islamic Law, marriage registration regulations, Constitutional Court rulings, and the results of the 2021 MUI Ijtima Ulama regarding online marriage. Secondary materials include Indonesian legal literature and the theory of international legal pluralism. The analysis was carried out by operationalizing legal pluralism through four dimensions, namely the source of norms, institutional actors, claims of validity or authority, and the consequences of legal protection. The results of the study show that nikah siri reflects the tension between religious and social acceptance and the function of state registration in ensuring proof and protection of rights. Meanwhile, online marriage presents additional issues related to ittihad al-majlis, real-time continuity, identity authentication, witnesses, wakalah, digital evidence, and integration of official registration. This study emphasizes that marriage registration is an instrument of substantive protection. The research contribution is in the form of a protection-oriented interlegality model through accessible registration, measurable marriage isbat, protection of children's rights, and gradual regulation for digitally mediated marriage.

Author Biographies

Ni’amillah Ni’amillah, Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, Indonesia

Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, Indonesia
Ahmad Yani, Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, Indonesia

Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, Indonesia
Neily El’Izzah, Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, Indonesia

Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, Indonesia
Muhammad Adieb, Institut Pesantren Babakan Cirebon, Indonesia

Institut Pesantren Babakan Cirebon, Indonesia
Muhammad Al Baaqir Muladawilah, Al-Ahgaff University

Al-Ahgaff University Yaman, Yaman
Randy Vallentino Neonbeni, Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Hukum Cendana Wangi, Indonesia

Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Hukum Cendana Wangi, Indonesia

References

Abdul, Kodir, N U R Widhiyanti Hanif, And Sulistyarini Rachmi. “Juridical Implications Of Family Card Issuance For Siri Marriage Couples On Child Status.” International Journal 4, No. 2 (2024): 965–972. https://doi.org/10.55227/ijhess.v4i2.1256.

Abdulah Pakarti, Muhammad Husni, Wahyudi Wahyudi, Ah. Fathonih, Fauzan Ali Rasyid, and Husain Husain, trans. 2025. “The Construction of Islamic Law on Marriage: A Normative Study of Rights, Harmony, and Its Limits”. Al-Battar: Jurnal Pamungkas Hukum 2 (2): 99-111. https://doi.org/10.63142/al-battar.v2i2.172.

Afrilian, Andre, Khairul Khairul Akmal, and Muhammad Akmalul Rizal. “Eksistensi Hukum Pencatatan Perkawinan Dalam Reformasi Hukum Keluarga Di Dunia Islam.” Al-Syakhsiyyah: Journal of Law & Family Studies 6, no. 1 (2024): 96–117. https://doi.org/10.21154/syakhsiyyah.v6i1.6337.

Armiansa, Radian. “Kajian Hukum Islam Atas Fenomena Nikah Sirri (Telaah Terhadap Kompilasi Hukum Islam).” AR-RA’YU: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Islam 3, no. 1 (2025): 25–48. https://doi.org/10.55721/zpa7kk32.

Asman, Asman. “Marginalisasi Perempuan Dalam Problematika Legalitas Nikah Siri Di Indonesia.” Al-Mashlahah Jurnal Hukum Islam Dan Pranata Sosial 12, no. 02 (2024): 205–16. https://doi.org/10.30868/am.v12i02.7457.

Amir, Ahmad Nabil, Tasnim Abdul Rahman, Seyed Mohammad Houshisadat, and Musa Adebayo Badrudeen, trans. 2025. “Muhammad Abduh and the Conception of Science: The Framework of Maqasid and Sharia”. Al-Battar: Jurnal Pamungkas Hukum 2 (2): 175-86. https://doi.org/10.63142/al-battar.v2i2.167.

Abdulah Pakarti, Muhammad Husni, Ending Solehudin, Maruf Maruf, Iqbal Saujan, and Saeideh Shakibiciu. 2025. “The Role and Application of ’Urf As a Source of Islamic Law: A Historical Review and Fiqhiyah Rules”. An-Nisa: Journal of Islamic Family Law 2 (3): 175-92. https://doi.org/10.63142/an-nisa.v2i3.300.

Ahmad, Chaidir Ali, Muhsan Syarafuddin, Kirama Nasim Manbi Ushama, and Jamaluddin Jamal Muhsen. 2025. “The Concept of the Ideal Couple: Buya Hamka’s Perspective in Islamic Marriage Law”. An-Nisa: Journal of Islamic Family Law 2 (4): 315-25. https://doi.org/10.63142/an-nisa.v2i4.366.

Burhan Latip, Muhammad Husni Abdulah Pakarti, Nik Salida Suhaila Nik Saleh, Muhammad Zakir Husain, and Normadiah Daud. 2025. “Prohibition Vs Persistence: Contract Marriages Between the Objectives of Islamic Law and Local Legal Realities in Indonesia”. An-Nisa: Journal of Islamic Family Law 2 (4): 342-360. https://doi.org/10.63142/an-nisa.v2i4.471.

Dalimunthe, Paisal Ahmad. “Factors That Cause the Occurrence of Siri Marriage in Tualang District.” Legitima: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Islam 6, no. 1 (2023): 84–100. https://doi.org/10.33367/legitima.v6i1.4337.

Firdaus, Muhammad Rizal, and Ali Maskur. “Pernikahan Sirri Dalam Perspektif Hukum Islam Dan Pencatatan Perkawinan Menurut Ketentuan Yang Berlaku Di Indonesia (Hukum Positif).” Istidal: Jurnal Studi Hukum Islam 11, no. 1 (2024): 52–72. https://doi.org/10.34001/ijshi.v11i1.6418.

Fitra, Tasnim Rahman, Noratinah Binti Yusof, and Anwar M Radiamoda. “Sanctions and Legal Compliance in Marriage Registration: A Comparative Implementation of Islamic Family Law in Indonesia and Malaysia.” Islamic Law and Social Issues in Society 1, no. 1 (2025): 48–63. https://doi.org/10.64929/ilsiis.v1i1.10.

Haryanto, Eko, Moh Wahib, Faisal Faisal, and Athoillah Islamy. “He Yokal Himago: A Sociological Review of Law on Nikah Siri in The Dani Muslim Community, Papua.” Al-Adalah: Jurnal Hukum Dan Politik Islam 9, no. 1 (2024): 40–52. https://doi.org/10.30863/ajmpi.v9i1.4814.

Indonesia. Peraturan Menteri Agama Nomor 30 Tahun 2024 tentang Pencatatan Pernikahan (2024).

_____.Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 1974 tentang Perkawinan sebagaimana diubah dengan Undang-Undang Nomor 16 Tahun 2019 (1974).

Indonesia, Mahkamah Konstitusi Republik. Putusan Nomor 46/PUU-VIII/2010 (2012).

Jalili, Ismail, and Abdul Kabir Hussain Solihu. 2026. “Qawā’id Fiqhiyyah and Legal Pluralism: Reconstructing Islamic Family Law Toward Gender Equality in Indonesia”. An-Nisa: Journal of Islamic Family Law 3 (2): 95-107. https://doi.org/10.63142/an-nisa.v3i2.536.

Merry, Sally Engle. “Legal Pluralism.” Law & Society Review 22, no. 5 (1988): 869–96. https://doi.org/10.2307/3053638.

Moore, Sally Falk. “Law and Social Change: The Semi-Autonomous Social Field as an Appropriate Subject of Study.” Law & Society Review 7, no. 4 (1973): 719–46. https://doi.org/10.2307/3052967.

Musarrofa, Ita, Husnul Muttaqin, and Ridha Amaliyah. “The Problems of Islamic Family Law in the Digital Era and Its Relevance to Renewal of the Compilation of Islamic Law.” Jurnal Hukum Islam 22, no. 1 (2024): 89–124. https://doi.org/10.28918/jhi_v22i1_4.

Musarrofa, Ita, and Holilur Rohman. “’Urf of Cyberspace: Solutions to the Problems of Islamic Law in the Digital Age.” Al-Ahkam 33, no. 1 (2023): 63–88. https://doi.org/10.21580/ahkam.2023.33.1.13236.

Purnama, Yusuf Agung, Slamet Firdaus, Wahyudi Wahyudi, Maryna Chernysh, and Achmad Siddiq. “Unregistered and Online Marriage in Indonesia: An Islamic Law and Legal Perspective Based on the Principle of Al-Masyaqqah Tajlibu Al-Taysīr.” Mawaddah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Islam 4, no. 1 (2026): 43–67. https://doi.org/10.52496/mjhki.v4i1.40.

Riani, Khafifah Anjar, Raisa Mahfuzhia Aufa, and Anwar Hafidzi. “Implikasi Hukum Teknologi Digital Terhadap Institusi Perkawinan: Pernikahan Virtual, Aset Digital Dalam Harta Bersama, Dan Cyber Divorce.” Indonesian Journal of Islamic Jurisprudence, Economic and Legal Theory 3, no. 2 (2025): 1680–94. https://doi.org/10.62976/ijijel.v3i2.1158.

Riyadi, Fuad, Ahmad Remanda, Abdurrohman Kasdi, and Arif Marsal. “Constitutional Ijtihad and the Reform of Islamic Family Law: A Comparative Analysis of Indonesia and Egypt in Advancing SDG 16.” Profetika: Jurnal Studi Islam 26, no. 02 (2025): 353–70. https://doi.org/10.23917/profetika.v26i02.11106.

Rohman, Miftakur. “Implikasi Hukum Pernikahan Online (Virtual Marriage) Terhadap Keabsahan Dan Akibat Hukumnya Dalam Perspektif Fiqh Dan Regulasi Di Indonesia.” MASADIR: Jurnal Hukum Islam 5, no. 01 (2025): 1050–73. https://doi.org/10.33754/masadir.v5i01.1656.

Rusliansyah, Shabrina, Hasnul Arifin Melayu, Aulil Amri, Claire Lajaunie, and Fatima Zohra Benali. 2025. “Legal Certainty of Interfaith Marriage After SEMA No. 02 of 2023 Maqasid Sharia Perspective”. An-Nisa: Journal of Islamic Family Law 2 (4): 258-70. https://doi.org/10.63142/an-nisa.v2i4.303.

Suwarno Putro, Roy, D Bayu Anaba, Renal AJi Nugroho, and Eti Mul Erowati. 2024. “Perkawinan Siri Antara Legalitas Hukum Dan Implikasi Sosial”. Philosophiamundi 2 (4):29-36. https://philosophiamundi.id/index.php/philosophia/article/view/72.

Sirait, NSAK, and Akmaluddin Syahputra. “Akad Nikah Online Dalam Perspektif Keputusan Ijtima’Ulama Komisi Fatwa MUI Se-Indonesia VII Tahun 2021 Dan Peraturan Menteri Agama No. 20 Tahun 2019 Tentang Pencatatan Pernikahan.” Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, Humaniora Dan Politik 4, no. 4 (2024): 657–66. https://doi.org/10.38035/jihhp.v4i4.2043.

Suharto, Mukhamad, Nur Kholis, Ahmad Rezy Meidina, and Muhammad Hasan Mahmud. “Marriage Registration as a Legal-Political Arena in Islamic Family Law: Reinterpreting Maṣlaḥah Mursalah within Modern Legal Systems.” Legitima: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Islam 8, no. 1 (2025): 27–46. https://doi.org/10.33367/legitima.v8i1.7891.

Salsabila, Fajrina Dhia, Vanda Kamila Alfi Syahri, Tutik Hamidah, and Kasuwi Saiban. 2024. “Nikah Sirri Perspektif Hukum Positif Indonesia Dan Hukum Islam”. An-Nisa: Journal of Islamic Family Law 1 (4): 87-97. https://doi.org/10.63142/an-nisa.v1i4.89.

Tamanaha, Brian Z. “A Non-Essentialist Version of Legal Pluralism.” Journal of Law and Society 27, no. 2 (2000): 296–321. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6478.00155.

Yuda, Yossef, and Yufrizal Yufrizal. “Marriage Registration and Its Legal Implications: A Case Study in South Coast Regency.” Jurnal Kajian Dan Pengembangan Umat 8, no. 2 (2025): 160–71. https://doi.org/10.31869/jkpu.v8i2.7388.