The Effectiveness of Law Enforcement Volunteers in Prosecuting Sharia Violations: A Study of the Role of Muḥtasib and Pageu Gampong in Banda Aceh
Keywords:
Law Enforcement, Sharia Law, Muḥtasib, Pageu Gampong, Customary
Abstract
This study aims to explain the roles of the muḥtasib and pageu gampong in enforcing sharia law in Banda Aceh, as well as their respective effectiveness. The study is important because the extensive area covered by sharia law enforcement creates gaps in supervision and enforcement that formal authorities have not yet fully addressed. The research questions focus on the similarities and differences in the authority of these two institutions, and the factors that influence their effectiveness. The study employs a qualitative legal-sociological approach by analyzing institutional practices at the gampong level. The results suggest that muḥtasib and pageu gampong have similar roles involving monitoring, admonishing, and reporting violations of sharia law. However, muḥtasib is limited to these three functions, whereas the pageu gampong also has the authority to resolve customary disputes, particularly minor criminal and civil cases. Pageu gampong is more effective in terms of performance because it stems from the community's collective consciousness, is self-reliant and voluntary, and has a broader membership. Nevertheless, it is not yet widespread, with only twelve villages in Banda Aceh currently having an active pageu gampong.
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Al-Hanbali, Abu Ya’la. Al-Ahkam Al-Sulthaniyyah. Edited by Muhammad Hamid Al-Fata. Dar Al-Fikr. 6th ed. Vol. 5. Damaskus: Dar al-Fikr, 1998.
Al-Mawardi. Al-Ahkam Al-Sulthaniyyah. Edited by Ahmad Jad. Dar Al-Hadits. 8th ed. Vol. 8. Kairo: Dar Al-Hadits, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2016.03.001.
Alamsyah, T., Teuku Muliadi, Khairunnas, Sufyan Anwar, Marniati, and Anwar Mallongi. “Community-Based Anti-Drug Efforts: Leveraging Local Wisdom for Prevention.” Pharmacognosy Journal 16, no. 1 (2024): 141–44. https://doi.org/10.5530/pj.2024.16.19.
Alias, Azhar, Badarulzaman Muhammad Hafiz, Muhammad Fidlizan, and Zaib Siti Zamarina MAt. “Syariah Criminal Law Enforcement in Hisbah Framework: Practice in Malayasia.” In Intellectual Discourse, 28:149, 2020. https://doi.org/10.33383/2020-01.
Chysara, Daris Iqbal, Carni Trisnawati, and PS Aida Karimah. “The Implementation of Strategic Management in The Wilayatul Hisbah Institution in Enforcing Islamic Sharia.” Islam and Transformatif: Journal of Islamic Studies 8, no. 1 (2024).
Cropanzano, Russell, Erica L Anthony, Shanna R Daniels, and Alison V Hall. “Social Exchange Theory: A Critical Review With Theorerical Remedies.” Academy of Management Annals 11, no. 1 (2017): 1–38.
Diehl, Marjo-riitta, Jacqueline A M Coyle-shapiro, and Russell Cropanzano. “Bridging Tradition and Transformation in Social Exchange Theory.” Sage Journal: Action Research 24, no. 2 (2026): 2–12.
Durkheim, Émile. The Rules of Sociological Method. Edited by Steven Lukes. Bloomsbury Academic / Free Press. V. New York: Bloomsbury Academic / Free Press, 2013.
Enayat, Taha, Mohsen Mehrani Ardebili, Ramtin Reyhani Kivi, Bahador Amjadi, and Yousef Jamali. “A Computational Approach to Homans Social Exchange Theory.” Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications 597, no. 1 (2022): 1–273.
Fauzi, Yusuf, Nirzalin, HAfni Nur, Ar-Rahman Dahlan, and Abubakar Muhammad Bin. “Implementation of Qanun Number 4 Of 2009 About Gampong Government (Studies on Task Force Pageu Gampong. Mns. Alue Drien District Lhoksukon North Aceh ).” Malikussaleh Governance and Policy Reviews 1, no. 1 (2023): 61–67.
Feener, R. Michael. Shari’a and Social Engineering: The Implementation of Islamic Law in Contemporary Aceh, Indonesia. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Feener, R Michael, Mark E Cammack, and Harvard Law. Islamic Law In Contemporary Indonesia : Ideas And Institutions. Vol. 18. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2015.
Hidayah, Sita. “Women’s Experiences of Sharia Law in Banda Aceh Indonesia.” Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg, 2019.
Iskandar, Mizaj. “The Enforcement of Gompong in The Qanun of Aceh and Its Relative Position in The Indonesian Constitution.” Jurnal Hukum Dan Peradilan 8, no. 2 (July 31, 2019): 255. https://doi.org/10.25216/jhp.8.2.2019.255-274.
Iskandar, Mizaj, Nurdin MH, Amrizal J. Prang, and Ibnu Qodir. “Extrajudicial Trend in Sharia Law Enforcement: Customary Justice or Vigilantism?” Petita: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu Hukum Dan Syariah 9, no. 2 (2024): 624–40.
Iskandar, Mizaj, Azhari Yahya, M. Jafar, Darmawan, and Muliadi Kurdi. “Law Enforcement of Jinayat Cases in Syar’iyah Court in Aceh Province Indonesia During Covid-19 Pandemic.” UUM Journal of Legal Studies 14, no. 2 (2023): 457–82. https://doi.org/10.32890/uumjls2023.14.2.2.
Iskandar, Mizaj, Azhari Yahya, and Abdul Jalil Salam. “From the Public Space to the Prison Space: Regulation Polemic and the Implementation of Caning Law in Aceh.” Jurnal Hukum Dan Pranata Sosial 17, no. 1 (2022): 216–41. https://doi.org/10.19105/al-Ihkam.v17i1.5646.
Jihad, Azka Amalia, Khairul Azmy, Nazaruddin A. Wahab, Azman Sayuti, and Faisal Fauzan. “The Role of the Supervisory Board in the Development of Sharia Cooperatives in Aceh After the Enactment of the Sharia Financial Institutions Law.” Samarah 8, no. 2 (2024): 1054–76. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i2.19610.
Mighfar, Shokhibul. “Social Exchange Theory: Telaah Konsep George C. Homans Tentang Teori Pertukaran Sosial.” Jurnal Lisan Al-Hal 9, no. 2 (2015): 261–87.
Muhibbuthabry. “Kelembagaan Wilayat Al-Hisbah Dalam Konteks Penerapan Syariat Islam Di Provinsi Aceh.” IJurnal Lmiah Peuradeun II, no. 2 (2014): 113.
Opwis, Felicitas. “New Trends in Islamic Legal Theory : Maqāṣid Al-Sharīʿa as a New Source of Law ?” Koninklijke Brill Nv 57 (2017): 7–32.
Rizal, Syamsul, and Moh. Nasir. “Challenges in Supporting Women’s Recovery from Sexual Violence in a Village Setting: Addressing Social Structures in Gampong Meurandeh Dayah, Aceh.” Palastren: Jurnal Studi Gender 17, no. 1 (2024): 23–44.
Simon Butt. “Indonesia’s New Criminal Code: Indigenising and Democratising Indonesian Criminal Law?” Griffith Law Review 32, no. 2 (2023).
Stewart, John. “The Crisis of Modern Society: Richard Titmuss and Emile Durkheim.” History of the Human Sciences 37, no. 1 (2024): 47–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/09526951231169399.
Talcott Parsons. The Social System. Edited by Neil J. Smelser. The Free Press. Illinois: The Free Press, 2012.
Taylor, Mitchell J. “Spencer and Parsons on Functional Differentiation: Some Illustrative Parallels.” History of the Human Sciences 39, no. 1 (2026): 92–116. https://doi.org/10.1177/09526951251345651.
Usman, Mizaj Iskandar. “The Interview Sessions with Syahrizal Abbas, the Former Head of the Aceh Islamic Sharia Agency and a Professor of Islamic Law at Ar-Raniry Islamic State University.” Ajnn.Net. 2025.
———. “The Interview Sessions with The Coordinator of the Muḥtasib Gampong Tgk Zulbaidi.” Aceh.Tribunnews.Com. 2025.
———. “The Interview Sessions with the Current Mayor of Banda Aceh, Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal.” Serambinews.Com. 2025.
———. “The Interview Sessions with The Head of Banda Aceh Satpol PP-WH, Ardiansyah.” Serambinews.Com. 2025.
Usman, Mizaj Iskandar, Muhammad Yusuf, Azhari Yahya, and Ahyar Gayo. “Adultery Offenses in Indonesia’s New Penal Code: Examining the Influence of Islamic and Customary Law.” Juris (Jurnal Ilmiah Syariah) 24, no. 1 (2025): 73–84. https://doi.org/10.31958/juris.v24i1.13208.
Zuriah, and Iskandar Syah. “Optimization of Desa Pageu in Preventing Sexual Crime in Children in Kabupaten Bireuen.” An-Nisa’: Journal of Gender Studies 15, no. 2 (2022): 225–36.
Published
2026-06-22
How to Cite
Usman, M., Salam, A., Muliadi, M., MH, N., & J. Prang, A. (2026). The Effectiveness of Law Enforcement Volunteers in Prosecuting Sharia Violations: A Study of the Role of Muḥtasib and Pageu Gampong in Banda Aceh. Mazahib, 25(1), 79-96. https://doi.org/10.21093/mj.v25i1.12503
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2026 Mizaj Iskandar Usman, Abdul Jalil Salam, Muliadi Muliadi, Nurdin MH, Amrizal J. Prang
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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