Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026)
Articles
Reconstructing Wage Justice for Fixed-Term Workers in Indonesia: Integrating Ijarah ‘ala al-‘Amal and Labor Law
Abstract
Fixed-term employment provides employers with flexibility in organizing labor but continues to raise legal questions concerning wage adequacy, employment security, and continuity of worker protection. This article examines the legal construction of wages and protection for workers employed under Perjanjian Kerja Waktu Tertentu (PKWT) in Indonesia, evaluates its compatibility with ijarah ‘ala al-‘amal and maqasid al-shari‘ah, and develops a normative reconstruction of wage justice. The study employed normative legal research using statutory, conceptual, case, and comparative-normative approaches. Legal materials were analyzed doctrinally through grammatical, systematic, and teleological interpretation, legal syllogism, and six indicators of wage justice: contractual clarity, adequacy, proportionality, timely payment, protection against unjustified differentiation, and continuity of socioeconomic protection. The analysis demonstrates that Indonesian labor law restricts PKWT to legally eligible work, limits time-based PKWT and any extension to a maximum total period of five years, requires reclassification as indefinite-term employment when PKWT is used for legally ineligible or permanent work, and guarantees wages, end-of-contract compensation, and social security. Indonesian labor law and ijarah ‘ala al-‘amal substantially converge in requiring clear contractual terms, proportional remuneration, timely payment, and protection of workers’ economic rights. Their compatibility remains incomplete, however, when contractual consent masks unequal bargaining power, minimum-wage compliance does not ensure an adequate livelihood, or compensation fails to provide continuity of protection. Wage justice should therefore be reconstructed through substantive wage determination, protection against differentiation based solely on contractual status, transparent wage provisions, automatic compensation and continuous social protection, and effective supervision and remedies.
Governing Social Problems through Islamic Law in Aceh: A Historical-Sociological Analysis
Abstract
Aceh has a distinctive authority to institutionalize Islamic law within Indonesia’s decentralized legal system. Although this authority is frequently associated with efforts to address social and religious offenses, its contribution cannot be assessed solely through the existence of qanun or the imposition of legal sanctions. This study examines the historical and legal foundations, institutional mechanisms, normative functions, and implementation challenges of Islamic law in governing social problems in Aceh. It employs a qualitative historical-sociological design based on documentary analysis of national legislation, Aceh qanun, institutional publications, books, and relevant scholarly articles. The documents were analyzed through qualitative content analysis and organized around four categories: historical and legal institutionalization, institutional functions, mechanisms for regulating social and religious conduct, and implementation challenges. The analysis shows that the contemporary authority of Islamic law derives from the convergence of historical legitimacy, Islamic identity, asymmetrical autonomy, national legislation, and state institutionalization. Its implementation involves a multi-actor structure comprising the Islamic Sharia Office, Wilayatul Hisbah, police, prosecutors, the Mahkamah Syar’iyah, and community and customary institutions. Islamic law also provides a shared moral framework supported by meunasah, mosques, dayah, and gampong institutions. However, limited institutional capacity, overlapping jurisdiction, uneven enforcement, insufficient legal literacy, and concerns regarding gender equality, privacy, due process, and vulnerable groups constrain its implementation. The study concludes that the contribution of Islamic law depends on accountable law enforcement, procedural justice, moral education, social protection, rehabilitation, and community participation rather than punitive enforcement alone.
Contemporary Psychology of Religion: Its Relevance to Education, Social Life, and Psychological Well-Being
Abstract
The psychology of religion has expanded from a predominantly individual study of religious experience into a multidimensional field concerned with psychological, social, cultural, educational, and spiritual processes. Nevertheless, existing studies frequently examine its educational, mental health, social, and theoretical dimensions separately, resulting in limited conceptual integration across these domains. This article examines the contemporary development of the psychology of religion and synthesizes its relevance to education, social life, and psychological well-being. It employed a qualitative narrative-integrative literature review of recent publications identified through Google Scholar using Publish or Perish, supplemented by seminal works required to explain foundational concepts. The selected literature was analyzed through qualitative content analysis involving thematic coding, comparison of convergent and divergent arguments, and conceptual synthesis. The review identified three interrelated findings. First, contemporary psychology of religion conceptualizes religiosity as a dynamic and multidimensional phenomenon shaped by personal development and sociocultural contexts. Second, in education, religious meaning, moral reflection, social learning, and emotional regulation may contribute to character formation, learning motivation, psychological well-being, and social responsibility. Third, in social life, religiosity may support meaning-making, coping, prosocial behavior, tolerance, solidarity, and community support. These effects are not automatic, however, because rigid, punitive, or exclusionary interpretations may contribute to guilt, spiritual conflict, psychological distress, and social exclusion. The psychology of religion should therefore be applied critically and contextually, with attention to religious orientation, interpretation, pedagogy, social support, and cultural diversity.
The Transformation of Pesantren Education Quality Management in the Digital Era: An Integrative Literature Review
Abstract
Digital transformation is changing how pesantren manage learning, administration, and institutional accountability while raising concerns about the continuity of religious authority and educational traditions. This study examines the transformation of pesantren education quality management and formulates a context-sensitive framework for the digital era. It uses a structured integrative literature review organized through the Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, and Analysis (SALSA) framework. The final analytical corpus consisted of 27 substantive sources, including journal articles, foundational and conceptual works, and policy or institutional documents selected for their relevance, transparency, contextual fit, and verifiability. The synthesis identifies five drivers of transformation, six recurring challenges, and eight interrelated management dimensions. Spiritual and ethical values form the framework’s normative foundation; value-grounded leadership, sustainable quality culture, and contextual internal quality assurance constitute its governance layer; and selective digitalization, human resource and digital competence development, curriculum integration, and strategic collaboration form its operational layer. The framework treats technology as wasilah (a means) for educational purposes rather than an end in itself. Because it is derived from an integrative review, the framework represents conceptual relationships rather than empirically established causal effects. Comparative empirical research is required before its effectiveness can be assessed across different pesantren contexts.
Women’s Empowerment in the Workplace from a Qur’anic Perspective: A Prophetic Gender Equilibrium Framework and Implications for Madrasah Education
Abstract
Women’s participation in the workforce has expanded, yet unequal remuneration, career barriers, occupational segregation, and disproportionate care responsibilities continue to limit substantive gender equality. In madrasahs, which function both as educational settings and professional organizations, gendered expectations may also shape learning, employment, career development, and leadership. This study analyzes Qur’anic ethical foundations relevant to women’s agency and workplace participation, situates them in dialogue with contemporary evidence on structural gender inequality, and proposes a Prophetic Gender Equilibrium framework with implications for gender-responsive madrasah education and governance. The study employed qualitative-conceptual library research using thematic Qur’anic exegesis (tafsīr mawdū‘ī) and a gender-ecological perspective. The Qur’anic corpus comprised QS. An-Nisā’ 4:1, QS. At-Tawbah 9:71, QS. Āli ‘Imrān 3:35–37, QS. Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:23 and 28:26, and QS. An-Naml 27:23–44. Interpretations were examined through Indonesian thematic exegesis, Tafsir Al-Mishbah, and relevant scholarship, while contemporary workplace evidence was treated as secondary contextual material rather than as a direct Qur’anic finding. The analysis identifies shared human dignity (nafsin wāḥidah) and reciprocal social partnership (awliyā’) as ethical foundations directly traceable to the selected corpus. Three Qur’anic narratives provide complementary models of women’s agency: Maryam represents spiritual autonomy and personal development; the two women of Madyan illustrate professional responsibility, competence, and integrity; and the female ruler of Saba’ illustrates deliberative leadership. Khadijah is treated separately as a historical exemplar of economic agency. These elements are synthesized into the proposed Prophetic Gender Equilibrium framework across micro, meso, and macro levels. The proposed framework provides a structured conceptual bridge between Qur’anic ethics, contemporary workplace gender justice, and gender-responsive madrasah education. Its institutional and policy implications are normative-contextual applications rather than direct textual prescriptions. Because the framework remains conceptual, its dimensions and operational indicators require empirical validation before claims about effectiveness or generalizability can be made.