Family Obligations toward Missing Persons (Mafqūd) Resulting from Armed Conflict: Perspectives from Kinship Jurisprudence and Humanitarian Protection

Reza Atabaki; Forough Abolghasemi; Jafar Abolghasemi; Khadijeh Sharifi

doi:10.64691/sc799a95

Authors

Reza Atabaki Shahid Beheshti University, Iran Author
Forough Abolghasemi Shahid Beheshti University, Iran Author
Jafar Abolghasemi Shahid Beheshti University, Iran Author
Khadijeh Sharifi Shahid Beheshti University, Iran Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64691/sc799a95

Keywords:

Mafqūd, Fiqh of Kinship, Armed Conflict, Humanitarian Protection, Family Responsibilities

Abstract

Missing persons (mafqūd) resulting from armed conflict create legal uncertainty that extends beyond the mere determination of life or death; the issue encompasses the continuity of kinship ties, identity protection, the management of civil rights, and family responsibilities while the family member’s fate remains unknown. Existing fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) literature on the mafqūd tends to focus on inheritance and marriage, so the conceptualization of family obligations during this period of uncertainty—as well as humanitarian protection—requires further development. This study aims to formulate a framework for family obligations toward a mafqūd resulting from armed conflict and define the limits of family responsibility. At the same time, legal status remains uncertain, and the study seeks to integrate kinship fiqh principles with Islamic humanitarian protection principles. This normative legal study employs conceptual, comparative, and integrative approaches, analyzing primary sources (classical and contemporary fiqh texts), secondary sources on Islamic law, and relevant international humanitarian and human rights instruments. The analysis identifies mafqūd-related norms, maps family obligations, compares human protection principles, and synthesizes these elements to define the nature and limits of family responsibility. The findings reveal three layers of family obligation: safeguarding the mafqūd’s civil rights and identity; pursuing continuous search, tracing, and documentation efforts; and upholding their dignity and social interests throughout the period of uncertainty. Family obligations constitute a trust (amānah) that does not lapse simply due to the lack of status certainty, whereas actions altering civil status require a legal basis and sufficient evidence. Integrating kinship fiqh with humanitarian protection frames the search for and preservation of the mafqūd’s rights as a normative family responsibility centered on protecting life, dignity, identity, and fundamental human rights.

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