Interpretive Bias in the Understanding of Hadith and Its Implications for the Persistence of Child Marriage in Indonesia

Abstract

Child marriage remains a complex socio-religious issue in Indonesia, including in regions with relatively high educational attainment such as Salatiga and Semarang Regency. While structural factors such as poverty and unintended pregnancy are frequently identified as primary drivers, the role of religious interpretation, particularly the understanding of hadith, has received insufficient critical examination. This study investigates the extent to which interpretive bias in selected Prophetic traditions contributes to the legitimation of underage marriage. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through in-depth interviews, field observations, and document analysis involving eight individuals who entered marriage below the legally prescribed age. The findings indicate three principal factors underlying child marriage: (1) premarital relationships leading to pregnancy, (2) economic vulnerability, and (3) textualist readings of hadith concerning the exhortation for youth to marry and the narration of ʿĀʾishah’s marriage. The study argues that such readings reflect an interpretive bias rooted in a decontextualized textual approach that overlooks historical contingencies and the higher objectives of Islamic law (maqāṣid al-sharīʿah). The persistence of child marriage, when grounded in literalist religious interpretation, risks generating long-term social and psychological consequences within marital life. This article, therefore, calls for a contextual and maqāṣid-oriented re-examination of relevant hadith, alongside strengthened dissemination of national marriage law, in order to align religious understanding with the normative principle of public welfare (maṣlaḥah).