Rekonstruksi Filosofis Qawwāmah: Dari Dominasi Hierarkis Menuju Kepemimpinan Fungsional Berbasis Kompetensi

Abstract

This article offers a comprehensive philosophical reconstruction of the concept of Qawwāmah in Islamic family law, transitioning from hierarchical domination to competence-based functional leadership. Through critical-hermeneutic methodology, this study analyzes the interpretive dualism that has shaped understanding of QS. An-Nisa' 4:34 for over a millennium. The traditional-patriarchal paradigm, dominant in classical fiqh, constructs Qawwāmah as a theological foundation for male authority based on claims of inherent superiority and the nafaqah obligation as "compensation" for control. Conversely, the modern-egalitarian paradigm, pioneered by feminist Muslim scholars such as Amina Wadud, Asma Barlas, and Khaled Abou El-Fadl, reinterprets Qawwāmah as functional leadership grounded in responsibility and service, not rights and domination. This research demonstrates that contextual reinterpretation possesses strong historical and methodological legitimacy within Islamic legal tradition itself, supported by concepts such as dynamic ijtihad, maqasid al-shariah, siyasah shar'iyyah, and qawa'id fiqhiyyah. The dramatic socio-economic transformation—particularly women's massive participation in higher education, workforce, and digital economy—has fundamentally undermined the theological basis of singular male leadership predicated on the role of sole breadwinner. When women actively contribute economically, the claim that men are qawwām because "they spend their wealth" becomes empirically inaccurate and normatively unjust. The alternative model proposed—competence-based functional leadership—offers a framework that is not only more just normatively but also more responsive to the diversity of competencies and needs in contemporary families. Leadership is conceptualized as a multidimensional function that should be distributed based on expertise in financial management, emotional leadership, child education, objective decision-making, and sensitivity to spiritual-psychological needs, rather than being an automatic monopoly of gender status. This model aligns with fundamental Islamic principles such as justice ('adl), consultation (shura), and loving-kindness and mercy (mawaddah wa rahmah) in marriage.