Islamic Law and Local Custom in Negotiating Sharia Tradition and Social Change

Abstract

This study aims to analyze how Islamic law and local custom are negotiated in maintaining sharia tradition and responding to social change in Karang Asih Village, North Cikarang District, Bekasi Regency, West Java, Indonesia. The study uses a qualitative case study approach because it focuses on meanings, experiences, and social processes within a specific community context. Fieldwork was conducted from September 2025 to November 2025. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, limited participant observation, and documentation involving religious leaders, customary leaders, community figures, village actors, families involved in customary practices, and local residents. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis supported by open and axial coding. The findings reveal four main themes: local custom as social legitimacy, religious and customary leaders as mediators, selective adaptation of sharia tradition, and social change across generations. The study shows that the community does not treat Islamic law and adat as opposing normative systems. Instead, both are negotiated through deliberation, family consensus, moral reasoning, and social trust. The findings contribute to the development of legal pluralism, `urf, and living Islamic law by showing that local communities actively interpret and reshape religious and customary norms. The study implies that religious and customary authorities need dialogical approaches to preserve cultural identity while strengthening justice, participation, and social welfare.