Abstract
In 2000, the codified Shari’ah family law of the Maldives, primarily aimed at regulating marriages and divorces in the country, also introduced a minimum age of marriage, restrictions on reconciliation, divorce and polygamy. Many of these as unique examples of a Shari’ah-based family law were targeted to incorporate Shari’ah family norms into a single code and at the same time address social issues in the Maldives around family affairs. This article examines the practice of family law in the Maldives, claiming that while significantly Shari’ah compliant, this area of law in the Maldives is transforming into a normative system that is guided by modern notions of rights of individuals, yet adhering to Islam, although not strictly bound by the formalistic Shari’ah rules. Through selected cases, the paper demonstrates aspects of legal reform and identifies the prospects and problems with the codified Shari’ah family law in the Maldives.
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