Women's Financial Rights in Libyan Family Law: An Islamic Legal Analysis of Mahr, Maintenance, Divorce, Housing, Custody, and Child Support
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67140/jhies.v2i2.20Keywords:
Libyan family law, women's financial rights, mahr, maintenance, child supportAbstract
Women's financial rights constitute a central component of Islamic family law and serve as essential mechanisms for protecting economic justice, family stability, and human dignity. This study examines the legal framework governing women's financial rights under Libyan family law through a doctrinal analysis of Law No. 10 of 1984 on Marriage, Divorce and Their Effects, together with its amendments under Law No. 22 of 1991 and Law No. 9 of 1994. The research focuses on six principal areas of financial protection: mahr (dower), maintenance (nafaqah), financial consequences of divorce, housing rights, custody expenses, and child support. Employing qualitative doctrinal legal research, the study interprets the statutory provisions and evaluates their consistency with the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the objectives of Islamic law (Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah). The findings indicate that Libyan family law generally reflects Islamic legal principles by recognizing women's independent financial rights and establishing comprehensive mechanisms for protecting them before, during, and after marriage. However, the analysis also identifies legislative ambiguities concerning maintenance assessment, housing enforcement, custody-related financial obligations, compensation, and the adjustment of financial rights to contemporary economic conditions. The study concludes that while the existing legal framework provides substantial protection for women's financial rights, further legislative clarification and stronger enforcement mechanisms are necessary to enhance legal certainty, improve judicial consistency, and strengthen the realization of justice within the Libyan family law system.
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