Transformation of Fathul Qarib's Livelihood Perspective from Karl Marx's Theory of Work Value

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the transformation of the meaning of nafkah from a protective concept in classical Islamic jurisprudence into a perception of economic burden in contemporary society. The study begins with a close reading of the text Fathul Qarib to identify the normative construction of nafkah as a protective obligation of the husband. Furthermore, this research employs a descriptive-analytical approach using Karl Marx’s labor value theory to explain this shift in meaning. The findings indicate that in modern society, nafkah has undergone a re-signification from the fulfillment of basic needs (use-value) into a market-based measure of consumption (exchange-value). The phenomena of dual-income households and the expansion of women’s roles have further reinforced this shift, so that nafkah is no longer understood as a unilateral obligation, but rather as a negotiated responsibility. Consequently, a distortion of meaning emerges, resulting in the stigmatization of women and increasing the complexity of economic relations within contemporary Muslim families.