Islamic Court’s Approach to Land Dispute in Inheritance Cases

Abstract

This study examines the legal considerations in settling inheritance disputes involving land distribution in Selong Religious (Islamic) Court of West Nusa Tenggara. The data in this study were obtained from interviews and court decision analysis. This study shows that the practice of granting property before the death of the muwārith (testator) can cause inheritance-based land disputes in the future. Disputes usually arose when the land was distributed only to particular heirs, neglecting the others, especially the daughters and their descendants. In deciding the land disputes in inheritance cases, judges evermore considered the legal validity of the land distribution. Besides that, the judges use Islamic legal sources such as the Quran, Hadith, opinions of scholars, and fiqh in their legal considerations. However, the use of these multiple references does not necessarily lead to a diverse outcomes.