Marriage: Sacred Worship and Power Politics Strategy?

As we know, marriage is one of the commandments in Islamic teachings, namely an agreement (contract) between a man and a woman in order to perfect their faith and religion and form a family or household that is sakinah, mawaddah, warrahmah. But who would have thought, apart from being a means of worshiping Allah, sometimes marriage has requirements for interests, one of which is an effort to strengthen political existence. Marriage as an effort to strengthen politics has occurred since the time of the Prophet Muhammad, his friend, until when Islam began to enter and spread in Indonesia.

After the Prophet was abandoned by his late wife Khadijah, almost all nine marriages of the Prophet Muhammad SAW were political. One of them was 2 years before Mecca accepted Islam and the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. He married Umm Habibah, the son of the leader of Mecca who opposed the Prophet Muhammad SAW, causing a long and tiring war. This is the Prophet Muhammad’s agenda for his existence in spreading Islam (Hazleton, L, 2018)

During the time of companions, when there was tension between the leaders of the Muslim community who replaced the Prophet. Namely the tension that occurred between Umar and Ali at the time of determining the Caliph after the death of Abu Bakr. Ali married Abu Bakr’s youngest widow, Asma, in an effort to reconcile and heal old disputes. Then when Umar became Caliph, he married Umm Kulthum, the eldest granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad and Ali’s eldest child. This step taken by Umar was an effort to reduce tensions and strengthen his position as Caliph because he had a dual relationship with the Prophet, namely as father-in-law and grandson-in-law (Hazleton, L, 2018).

Marriage is an old political dictum that keeps close people close and enemies closer. Therefore, marriage is full of interests, one of which is an effort to perpetuate it status quostrengthening or securing power and/or looking for allies (Rizky, 2022).

In other realms, for example fictional stories in animated cartoons, political marriages are also depicted in the anime series which recently went viral during the celebration of Indonesia’s 80th independence, One Piece. In the One Piece anime, there is a pirate emperor or Yonkou Big Mom, who marries and marries his children to other figures who he feels have political power and authority that can benefit his existence as a sea emperor.

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In Indonesia itself, political marriages have occurred since the time Islam began to enter and spread in Indonesia. The marriage between Sultan Agung, the King of Islamic Mataram who succeeded in bringing Islamic Mataram to the peak of its glory, and the Princess of Cirebon. At that time Cirebon had a naval fleet which was beneficial for Mataram to carry out trade relations with foreign parties. Marriages to strengthen the sovereignty of Islamic Mataram were not only carried out by the king, but also the entire royal family. This effort was made to win over a king, establish peace, and gain legitimacy and support from his people (Ayem, 2007)

Political marriages are basically valid as long as they are based on the willingness and desires of both parties without any coercion, as well as the fulfillment of the terms and conditions of marriage in accordance with the teachings of the Islamic religion. Quoted from Afrizal Ahmad’s thesis, Baharudin believes that marriage laws become diverse when there are diverse motivations. Baharudin’s opinion is related to the opinion of ‘Izza al-Din ibn Abd al-Salam and Zulkayandri, if in marriage there is motivation that is shalih then the legal implications are categorized mashlahah obligatory And mashlahah mandubat. When the motivation is legitimate then it will be obtained maslahah mubahat, However, if the motivation is imperfectthen the benefit he obtains is maslahah muhakamat And disgusting (Ahmad, 2011).

Also read: Law, dowry and guardians in marriage

REFERENCE:

Ahmad, A. (2011). Hierarchy of Motivations for Marriage in Islam Viewed from Maqashid Syari’ah [Program Pascasarjana Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau].

Yes, S. (2007). Women and Power (Study of the Marriage of the Mataram Isam Kings in 1589-1677 AD in Political Perspective). Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University.

Hazleton, L. (2018). After the Death of the Prophet: Early History of the Sunni and Shiite Division (M. Isran, Trans.). Yogyakarta

Rizky, PA (2022). Indonesian Political Marriage (Case Study of the Marriage of Jokowi’s Sister and the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court). POLITICOS: Journal of Politics and Government, 2(2), 104–113.

Author: Adimas Rizqon Agung Maskuri

Editor: Muh. Sutan