Fixing the legal age of marriage in the MMDA of Sri Lanka: an Islamic analysis

Abstract

Defining the age of marriage has been a controversial issue in Sri Lanka because of the feminist’s lobby. However, Islam explicitly establishes maturity as the dividing line to define the majority and minority while the man-made laws worldwide consider diverse ages according to traditional, cultural, ethnic, and geographical diversity. Thus, this study aims to analyse the discourses on defining the minimum age of marriage in the MMDA (Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act) of Sri Lanka. Subsequently, it explores the opinions of the classical and modern jurists as well as the discourses between the All-Ceylon Jam-e-athul Ulama and the women activists in Sri Lanka based on the data collected by the expert interviews and the secondary data. Consequently, this study endeavors to enlighten the Islamic perspective on defining the age of marriage to bridge the gap between the jurists and the feminists.