Woman and Fatwa: an Analytical Study of MUI’s Fatwa on Women’s Health and Beauty

Abstract

This study examines the fatwas on women’s health and beauty issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), explicitly investigating the influence of particular madhhab on these fatwas. This influence will be evaluated in MUI’s fatwas on women’s health and beauty, including fatwas on menstrual suppression pills, abortion, female circumcision, plastic surgery, and botox injections for beauty and care. The doctrinal approach of legal research is applied to analyze the use of Islamic legal sources and arguments. This study shows that although the majority of Indonesian Muslims follow the Shafi’i school, MUI does not solely adhere to the Shafi’i school in formulating its fatwas. Instead, MUI also employs approaches from other madhhab, such as Hanafi, Maliki, and Hanbali. As various MUI’s fatwas have provided broad guidelines for the community, fatwas on women significantly influence the legal basis for government policies.