1 Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) LAWS OF MALAYSIA REPRINT Act 303 ISLAMIC FAMILY LAW (FEDERAL TERRITORIES) ACT 1984 Incorporating all amendments up to 1 January 2006 PUBLISHED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF LAW REVISION, MALAYSIA UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE REVISION OF LAWS ACT 1968 IN COLLABORATION WITH PERCETAKAN NASIONAL MALAYSIA BHD 2006 2 ISLAMIC FAMILY LAW (FEDERAL TERRITORIES) ACT 1984 Date of Royal Assent ... ... ... ... ... 27 June 1984 Date of publication in the Gazette ... ... ... 28 June 1984 PREVIOUS REPRINTS First Reprint ... ... ... ... ... 2001 Second Reprint ... ... ... ... ... 2005 3 LAWS OF MALAYSIA Act 303 ISLAMIC FAMILY LAW (FEDERAL TERRITORIES) ACT 1984 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS PART I PRELIMINARY Section 1. Short title, application and commencement 2. Interpretation 3. Saving of prerogative 4. Application 5. Criterion for deciding whether a person is a Muslim 6. Subsisting valid marriages deemed to be registered under this Act and dissoluble only under this Act PART II MARRIAGE 7. Persons by whom marriages may be solemnized 8. Minimum age for marriage 9. Relationships prohibiting marriage 10. Persons of other religions 11. Void marriages 12. Non-registrable marriages 13. Consent required 14. Marriage of a woman 15. Betrothal 4 ACT 303 Laws of Malaysia Preliminaries to a Marriage Section 16. Application for permission to marry 17. Issue of permission to marry 18. Reference to an action by Syariah Judge 19. Permission necessary before solemnization 20. Place of marriage 21. Mas kahwin and pemberian 22. Entry in Marriage Register 23. Polygamy 24. Solemnization of marriages in Malaysian Embassies, etc., abroad PART III REGISTRATION OF MARRIAGES 25. Registration 26. Marriage certificate and ta'liq certificate 27. Reporting of void or illegal marriages 28. Appointment of Chief Registrar, Registrars, Deputy Registrars and Assistant Registrars of Muslim Marriages, Divorces, and Ruju' 29. Books and Registers to be kept of all marriages 30. Copies of entries to be sent to Chief Registrar 31. Registration of foreign marriage of a person resident in the Federal Territory 32. Unlawful registers 33. Voluntary registration of Muslim marriages previously solemnized under any law 34. Legal effect of registration PART IV PENALTIES AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS RELATING TO THE SOLEMNIZATION AND REGISTRATION OF MARRIAGES 35. Omission to appear before Registrar within prescribed time 36. Contravention of section 32 37. Interference with marriage 38. False declaration or statement for procuring marriage 5 Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) Section 39. Unauthorized solemnization of marriage 40. Offences relating to solemnization of marriage 41. Sanction for prosecution 42. Correction of errors 43. Inspection of Marriage Register and index 44. Proof PART V DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE 45. Extent of power to make any order 46. Change of religion 47. Divorce by talaq or by order 48. Arbitration by Hakam 49. Khul' divorce or cerai tebus talaq 50. Divorce under ta'liq or stipulation 50A. Divorce by li'an 51. Resumption of conjugal relationship or ruju' 52. Order for dissolution of marriage or fasakh 53. Presumption of death 54. Maintenance of Register of Divorces and Annulments 55. Registration of divorces 55A. Registration of divorces outside the Court 56. Mut'ah or consolatory gift to woman divorced without just cause 57. Right to mas kahwin, etc., not to be affected 58. Power of court to order division of harta sepencarian PART VI MAINTENANCE OF WIFE, CHILDREN AND OTHERS 59. Power of Court to order maintenance of wife, and the effect of nusyuz 60. Power of Court to order maintenance of certain persons 61. Assessment of maintenance 62. Power of Court to order security for maintenance 63. Compounding of maintenance 64. Duration of orders for maintenance 65. Right to maintenance or pemberian after divorce 6 ACT 303 Laws of Malaysia Section 66. Power of Court to vary orders for maintenance 67. Power of Court to vary agreements for maintenance 68. Maintenance payable under order of Court to be inalienable 69. Recovery of arrears of maintenance 70. Interim maintenance 71. Right to accommodation 72. Duty to maintain children 73. Power of Court to order maintenance for children 74. Power of Court to order security for maintenance of a child 75. Power of Court to vary order for custody or maintenance of a child 76. Power of Court to vary agreement for custody or maintenance of a child 77. Recovery of arrears of maintenance of a child 78. Duty to maintain child accepted as member of family 79. Duration of order for maintenance of a child 80. Duty to maintain illegitimate children PART VII GUARDIANSHIP Hadhanah or Custody of Children 81. Persons entitled to custody of a child 82. Qualifications necessary for custody 83. How right of custody is lost 84. Duration of custody 85. Custody of illegitimate children 86. Power of the Court to make order for custody 87. Orders subject to conditions Guardianship of Person and Property 88. Persons entitled to guardianship 89. Power over immovable and movable property 90. Appointment of guardians by the Court 91. Appointment of mother as testamentary guardian 92. Joint guardian with mother 7 Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) Section 93. Variation of power of guardian of property 94. Removal of guardian 95. Security to be given 96. Limitation of powers of guardian appointed by Court 97. Guardian may not give discharge for capital property 98. Guardian may support minor out of income 99. Special order in case of small estate 100. Application for opinion, etc. 101. Prohibition order by Court 102. Guardian of orphan 103. (Deleted) 104. Court to have regard to advice of welfare officers, etc. 105. Power of Court to restrain taking of child out of Malaysia Other Reliefs 106. Power of Court to set aside and prevent dispositions intended to defeat claims to maintenance 107. Injunction against molestation PART VIII MISCELLANEOUS 108. Recognition of Muslim marriages contracted outside the Federal Territory 109. Recognition of marriages contracted in Embassies, etc., in the Federal Territory Legitimacy 110. Ascription of paternity 111. Birth more than four years after dissolution of marriage 112. Birth after declaration of completion of `iddah 113. Syubhah intercourse 114. Conditions for valid acknowledgment 115. Presumption from acknowledgment rebuttable 116. Acknowledgment by a woman in `iddah 117. Acknowledging another as mother or father 8 ACT 303 Laws of Malaysia Section 118. Acknowledgment other than as a child, mother, or father 119. Acknowledgment irrevocable Order to Resume Cohabitation 120. Application by deserted wife Appeals 121. Appeal 122. (Deleted) PART IX PENALTIES 123. Polygamy without Court's permission 124. Divorce outside Court and without Court's permission 125. Failure to report 126. Desertion of wife 127. Ill-treatment of wife 128. Failure to give proper justice to wife 129. Disobedience of wife 130. Apostacy to annul marriage 131. Illicit intercourse between divorced persons 132. Wilful neglect to comply with order 133. Attempts and abetment PART X GENERAL 134. Power to make rules 135. Cessation of application of Selangor Enactment 3 of 1952 SCHEDULE 9 Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) LAWS OF MALAYSIA Act 303 ISLAMIC FAMILY LAW (FEDERAL TERRITORIES) ACT 1984 An Act to enact certain provisions of the Islamic Family Law in respect of marriage, divorce, maintenance, guardianship, and other matters connected with family life. [29 April 1987, P.U. (B) 236/1987] BE IT ENACTED by the Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong with the advice and consent of the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: PART I