PERSEPSI TOKOH MASYARAKAT TERHADAP BATASAN PERGAULAN SEMASA KHITBAH PERSPEKTIF HUKUM ISLAM (Stdi Kasus di Desa Balongbesuk Kecamatan Diwek Kabupaten Jombang)

Abstract

The khitbah period is an initial stage toward marriage in Islam, serving as a process for prospective couples to get to know each other while adhering to Islamic legal principles. In practice, interactions during this period are governed by religious and cultural norms that limit the behavior of unmarried men and women. In rural communities, community leaders play a strategic role as role models and guardians of these values. This study is motivated by the phenomenon in Balongbesuk Village, where there is a tendency toward shifting norms in social interactions during the khitbah period, with some engaged couples interacting freely like married couples, such as being alone without a mahram and engaging in physical contact. This condition is reinforced by a gap between the provisions of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh munakahat) and actual social practices, as well as the absence of formal legal regulations specifically governing interaction boundaries during khitbah. Furthermore, the less assertive perceptions of community leaders contribute to the formation of more permissive social norms. Therefore, this study aims to examine the perceptions of community leaders regarding social ethics during the khitbah period and their implications for the formation of social norms within the community. The results are expected to contribute to strengthening the understanding and implementation of Islamic values in the process leading to marriage.