Rethinking Marital Sexual Refusal in Islam: Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir’s Perspective

Abstract

Inequality in sexual relations in marriage often arises as a result of the legitimacy of religious postulates that situate sexual rights entirely on the husband, thereby ignoring the rights of the wife. This view creates an imbalance that is detrimental to the wife in sexual relations. Qirā’ah Mubādalah's approach by Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir offers a perspective that seeks to balance sexual rights between husband and wife, emphasizing that both parties must enjoy sexual relations without coercion and must be managed in a kind and understanding manner. This research is library research with a qualitative approach, which involves collecting primary and secondary data through interviews and documentation. The descriptive-analytic method was used to answer the main research question, namely how Islamic law views the refusal of sexual relations by husbands to wives and vice versa, as well as Qirā’ah Mubādalah's views regarding this issue. The research results show that in much of the fiqh literature, sexual relations still tend to benefit men, which is contrary to the principle of equal sexual rights promoted by Qirā’ah Mubādalah. This approach emphasizes that sexual relationships should be based on love, mutual respect, and deep understanding. Refusal of sexual relations must be carefully considered to prevent damage to the marriage, taking into account the needs and conditions of each partner.