Understanding of Generation Z Toward the Value of Justice in Maqāṣid Al-Sharī‘Ah Within Islamic Inheritance Law at Madrasah Aliyah Islamic Center of North Sumatra

Abstract

The understanding of Generation Z regarding the value of justice in Islamic inheritance law has become an important issue in the context of modern Islamic education. As a generation that has grown up amid the advancement of information technology, globalization, and rapid social change, Generation Z tends to have a more critical, rational, and open mindset toward the idea of equality. However, such a perspective often creates a gap between the normative understanding of Islamic law and their perception of justice as a universal concept. In the context of Islamic inheritance law, justice is not merely mathematical in the distribution of wealth, but rather derived from the maqāṣid al-syarī‘ah the higher objectives of Islamic lawwhich emphasize public welfare (maṣlaḥah), the protection of property (ḥifẓ al-māl), lineage (ḥifẓ al-nasl), and social justice.  This study aims to explore the extent of Generation Z’s understanding at Madrasah Aliyah Islamic Center of North Sumatra regarding the value of justice contained in the maqāṣid al-syarī‘ah within Islamic inheritance law, as well as to identify the factors that influence their perspectives on the principles of shar‘ī justice. This study employs a descriptive-qualitative approach using observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. The research informants consist of fiqh teachers, students, and school administrators who are involved in the learning process of Fiqh al-Mawārith (Islamic inheritance law). The results of the study indicate that most students understand Islamic inheritance law only in terms of its textual and numerical aspects of wealth distribution, without relating it to the maqāṣid al-syarī‘ah dimension as the philosophical foundation of justice in Islamic law. The factors influencing this limited understanding include: 1) the traditional and less contextual approach to fiqh learning; (2) the limited use of interactive digital media in teaching the concepts of inheritance law; and (3) the influence of modern Generation Z values, which tend to interpret justice in an egalitarian manner without considering the principle of proportionality within the sharī‘ah.  This study recommends the need to reconstruct the learning model of Islamic inheritance law in madrasahs to be oriented toward the maqāṣid al-syarī‘ah, by integrating the values of justice, digital media, and the strengthening of spiritual character. This effort is expected to develop a more comprehensive understanding among Generation Z regarding justice in Islamic inheritance law, enabling them to grasp not only its formal aspects but also the ethical and social meanings embedded within it.