Divorce Among Young Couples: A Sociological and Islamic Law Perspective

Abstract

The surging rate of divorce among young couples highlights a critical tension between normative Islamic legal ideals (mitsaqan ghalizan) and complex sociological realities on the ground. This study investigates the factors driving early marital dissolution in Galaherang Village and evaluates its implications through a dual theoretical framework combining Social Change Theory and Maqasid al-Shariah (Hifz al-Nasl). Employing an empirical socio-legal research design, primary qualitative field data gathered from young divorced couples were triangulated with legal sources—including the Compilation of Islamic Law and Law No. 1 of 1974—and processed via thematic analysis. The findings reveal that marital failure in this locality is primarily triggered by micro-economic instability, psychological unpreparedness frequently linked to unintended pregnancies, and modern infidelity. Rapid socio-cultural shifts disrupt local family support mechanisms, directly impairing the realization of Hifz al-Nasl. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that youth divorce is a structural crisis rather than merely an individual failure, underscoring the urgent need for mandatory, standardized premarital conflict-resolution counseling and stricter judicial assessments before granting marriage dispensations.