The Ethics of the Judicial Profession in Islamic Law: A Normative Study of Judicial Integrity and Professional Responsibility

Ferry Irawan Febriansyah; Yogi Prasetyo; Ulya Shafa Firdausi; Maulana Paramaditya Ananta

doi:10.24256/jiis.v5i2.11382

Authors

Ferry Irawan Febriansyah Universitas Muhammadiyah Ponorogo, Indonesia
Yogi Prasetyo Universitas Muhammadiyah Ponorogo, Indonesia
Ulya Shafa Firdausi Universitas Muhammadiyah Ponorogo, Indonesia
Maulana Paramaditya Ananta STKIP Al Hikmah Surabaya, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24256/jiis.v5i2.11382

Keywords:

Judicial Ethics, Islamic Law, Judges, Judicial Integrity, Professional Ethics

Abstract

Judicial ethics constitutes a fundamental pillar in ensuring justice, integrity, and accountability within legal systems. In Islamic teachings, the judicial profession is regarded as an amanah (trust) that requires judges to uphold ethical and moral principles in carrying out their duties. This study aims to analyze the ethical principles that guide judicial conduct from an Islamic perspective and to examine their relevance to contemporary judicial professionalism. This study employed a normative juridical approach using statutory and conceptual approaches. Data were collected through library research from legal regulations, Islamic legal sources, academic books, and scholarly journal articles, and were analyzed qualitatively through descriptive and thematic analysis. The findings reveal that Islamic judicial ethics is fundamentally grounded in the prophetic values of shidiq (truthfulness), amanah (trustworthiness), tabligh (transparency), fatanah (competence and wisdom), and istiqamah (consistency). These ethical values provide a comprehensive framework for judicial conduct by integrating moral integrity, professional responsibility, and spiritual accountability. The study further finds that Islamic judicial ethics contributes significantly to the realization of maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah through the protection of rights, prevention of injustice, and promotion of social welfare. Moreover, Islamic judicial ethics demonstrates substantial compatibility with contemporary judicial standards, particularly the principles of independence, impartiality, integrity, accountability, equality, and competence reflected in the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct. This study concludes that Islamic judicial ethics remains highly relevant as a normative and practical framework for strengthening judicial professionalism, enhancing public trust, and improving judicial governance in contemporary legal systems.

References

Al-Mawardi, A. H. (2016). Al-Ahkam al-sulthaniyyah: Principles of Islamic governance. Qisthi Press.

Al-Raysuni, A. (2022). Imam al-Shatibi’s theory of the higher objectives and intents of Islamic law. IIIT.

Auda, J. (2008). Maqasid al-shariah as philosophy of Islamic law: A systems approach. International Institute of Islamic Thought.

Auda, J. (2021). Maqasid methodology for re-envisioning Islamic higher education. Journal of Contemporary Maqasid Studies, 1(1), 31–58. https://doi.org/10.52100/jcms.v1i1.58

Ballin, E. H. (2020). Advanced introduction to legal research methods. Edward Elgar.

Dakolias, M. (2022). Court performance and public trust in judicial institutions. International Journal for Court Administration, 14(1), 1–15.

Fahira, M. A., & Fahmi, S. N. A. (2022). Professional ethics of judges in court. Metro Islamic Law Review, 1(2), 176–188. https://doi.org/10.32332/milrev.v1i2.6207

Garoupa, N., & Ginsburg, T. (2021). Judicial reputation and accountability. Journal of Legal Analysis, 13(1), 45–78.

Hallaq, W. B. (2009). An introduction to Islamic law. Cambridge University Press.

Hashi, A. A. (2011). Islamic ethics: An outline of its principles and scope. Revelation and Science, 1(3), 122–130. https://doi.org/10.31436/revival.v1i03.46

Hidayah, R., & Zarkasi, L. (2021). Etika profesi hakim perspektif hukum Islam. Al-Rasikh: Jurnal Hukum Islam, 10(2), 103–129. https://doi.org/10.38073/rasikh.v10i2.776

Ibrahim, J. (2006). Teori dan metodologi penelitian hukum normatif. Bayu Media.

International Commission of Jurists. (2022). Judicial accountability and ethics in modern legal systems. ICJ Press.

Kadir, A., Sabirin, A., & Suzaini, S. B. (2026). Reimagining judge oversight: Duties and functions of the Judicial Commission in action. Jurnal Kajian Pembaruan Hukum, 6(1), 107–136. https://doi.org/10.19184/jkph.v6i1.53703

Kamali, M. H. (2008). Shari’ah law: An introduction. Oneworld Publications.

Kartikasari, D., & Risky, S. (2025). The idea of independent judicial ethics courts in Indonesia. JAPHTN-HAN, 4(1), 65–84. https://doi.org/10.55292/japhtnhan.v4i1.156

Lumopa, F., & Arifin, Z. (2024). Judges’ code of ethics in deciding cases. Edunity Kajian Ilmu Sosial dan Pendidikan, 3(12), 1169–1179. https://doi.org/10.57096/edunity.v3i12.339

Luthfiah, I., Astuti, I., & Faridah, F. (2025). The concept of ihsan in Al-Munir’s tafsir and its implications in the workplace. FiTUA: Jurnal Studi Islam, 6(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.47625/fitua.v6i2.1070

March, A. F. (2021). Islamic law, ethics, and public reasoning. Journal of Religious Ethics, 49(3), 421–445.

Marzuki, P. M. (2017). Penelitian hukum (Rev. ed.). Kencana.

Meghdadi, M. M., & Emami, B. S. (2018). The role of legal ethics in promoting judicial justice. Justice in Contemporary Legal Studies, 121–134.

Mohammed, Y. (2020). Islamic ethics and professional responsibility in contemporary governance. Journal of Islamic Ethics, 4(2), 145–167.

Nurwandri, A., Anggraini, A., & Zaini, A. P. (2025). Judges’ code of ethics: Foundation for maintaining integrity and accountability. Multidisciplinary Indonesian Center Journal, 2(2), 1023–1037. https://doi.org/10.62567/micjo.v2i2.532

OECD. (2022). Judicial integrity and anti-corruption framework. OECD Publishing.

Parameswary, K., Amiruddin, D., Ichsani, I., & Hendayana, H. (2025). Reconfiguring judicial oversight in Indonesia: The Judicial Commission and constitutional limits of judicial integrity enforcement. Society, 13(3), 1180–1193. https://doi.org/10.33019/society.v13i3.986

Qaradawi, Y. (2013). The lawful and the prohibited in Islam. Islamic Book Trust.

Sachedina, A. (2007). Islamic ethics: Differentiations. In The Blackwell companion to religious ethics (pp. 254–267). Blackwell.

Siswahyuningsih, Z., Ambarawadi, N., Jaswadi, J., Aziz, A., & Efendi, N. (2025). Leading with prophetic integrity: Strengthening Islamic education through shiddiq, amanah, and fathanah. Managere: Indonesian Journal of Educational Management, 7(2), 224–235. https://doi.org/10.52627/managere.v7i2.868

Soekanto, S. (2006). Penelitian hukum normatif. Raja Grafindo Persada.

Sulaiman, H. D., Alatas, A., Awang, A. B., & El-eletrebi, M. F. (2020). Objectives and principles of Islamic governance. Journal of Islamic Administration, 17(1), 222–248.

Taekema, S. (2018). Theoretical and normative frameworks for legal research: Putting theory into practice. Law and Method. https://doi.org/10.5553/REM/.000031

Transparency International. (2023). Corruption perceptions index 2023. Transparency International.

UNODC. (2002). The Bangalore principles of judicial conduct. United Nations.

UNODC. (2023). Judicial integrity report 2023. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Voigt, S. (2021). Judicial independence and judicial accountability: A review of the economic literature. European Journal of Law and Economics, 52(2), 211–229.

World Justice Project. (2023). Rule of law index 2023. World Justice Project.

Yoserwan, Y., & Dias, F. S. (2024). Implementing anti-money laundering law: Optimizing asset recovery in corruption cases in Indonesia. Jurnal Hukum dan Peradilan, 13(2), 227–250. https://doi.org/10.25216/jhp.13.2.2024.227-250