Emotional Labor and the Reconceptualization of Nafkah Batin in Islamic Family Law
Date Published : 13 October 2026
Contributors
Ela Munifatus Sakdiyah, M.H
Universitas Islam Negeri Kiai Ageng Muhammad Besari Ponorogo
Author
Mughniatul ‘Ilma
Kiai Ageng Muhammad Besari State Islamic University
Author
Keywords
Nafkah Batin
Emotional Labor
Mu'āsyarah Bil Ma'rūf
Fiqh Reconstruction
Emotional Justice.
Proceeding
Track
General Track
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ela Munifatus Sakdiyah, M.H; Mughniatul ‘Ilma;
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Divorce in Indonesia is dominated by ongoing disputes (64.4%), reflecting a failure to fulfill emotional needs, while classical fiqh reduces nafkah batin to biological obligations. This normative legal research employs Hochschild’s emotional labor framework through conceptual and philosophical approaches, utilizing content analysis and conceptual synthesis of the Qur’an, tafsir, cross-madhhab fiqh, contemporary thought, and fatwas. The findings reveal that emotional care has strong normative roots across Islamic sources yet remains systematically unformulated. Through “surface acting” and “deep acting,” this study distinguishes performative nafkah batin (external compliance) from substantive nafkah batin (authentic, sustainable care), and redefines nafkah batin as a reciprocal obligation that cannot be reduced to biological fulfillment alone, grounded in maqāsid al-syarī’ah and qawā’id fiqhiyyah. This reconstruction offers a new framework for the enforcement of Islamic family law in emotionally-based disputes.
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How to Cite
Sakdiyah, E. M., & ‘Ilma, M. (2026). Emotional Labor and the Reconceptualization of Nafkah Batin in Islamic Family Law. International Seminar on Sharia, Law and Muslim Society, 1(1), 51-65. https://conferences.uinsaid.ac.id/ISSLaMS/paper/view/997