By: Dr. Mohammad Aleem, Editor, ICN Group
Millions of cases are pending in the civil courts just to seek divorce or alimony from the respective husbands and wives.
NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared a fresh bill to ban the practice of instant triple talaq, which, once passed by Parliament, will replace an ordinance issued earlier this year.
With the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha last month, the contentious bill had lapsed as it could not be passed by Parliament and was pending in Rajya Sabha.
I remember the days of 1994 when I had written a stage play named, Rabia. It was based on the theme of the freedom of choice in marriage to the Muslim girls in Islam and the society at large.
When I dived deep into the religious texts while researching on the subject, I came across a very famous saying of Prophet Muhammad in which it has been clearly said that a young girl or woman has every right to either accept a person in marriage or reject. No one can force them to marry against their will and wishes.
The hadith is like this: once a young bride came to him and implored very touchingly that please save me from the cruelty of my belligerent father. Prophet asked what the issue is! She said that my father has married me a man whom I don’t like in any way and he wants me to send forcefully with him. The revered Prophet replied that you have every right to either live with that man or abandon him.
It was a very far-sighted verdict according to that time when women was the most deprived lot in the Arabian society. Still, in India, thousands of young girls and women unfortunately get killed every year barbarically in the name of dowry and marriage related violence. Millions of cases are pending in the civil courts just to seek divorce or alimony from the respective husbands and wives.
The issue of Talaq or divorce is one of the most important issues in the lives of people, not only in India, but all over the world. But in other parts of the world, it is not as contentious as it is in India, especially among the Muslims.
A raging debate has been going on in pro and against of the triple Talaaq in one go not only among the Muslim intelligentsia, but people of the other communities and faiths also for a long time. Everyone knows that the holy Quran has its clear-cut views about it.
It has been clearly described in it that a person can give Talaaq to his wife only in three stages over the complete three months period. And within that time, all conciliatory approach should be adopted at hand either from the groom’s side or bride’s side.
But a section of Sunni Muslims are always against it and they look rigid in justifying it in the name of the Islamic tradition. It shows that their tradition holds much more importance than the divine teachings of Allah.
To what extent, it is justified? Is not so that Islam as a religion had come like a saviour for the deprived women? It was the first religion which talked about the basic human rights and dignity for a woman as a wife, mother, sister, widow and divorcee.
It granted the inheritance right properly first time in the human history. Should they not be given the same kind of freedom and dignity in the matter of divorce also as they have been given in the choice of marriage and inheritance? Does marriage and separation not hold the equal importance in life?
I urge fellow Muslims not to look at this issue as an affront to their long-held regressive thoughts, but as a progressive and advanced opportunity to correct their mistakes which ruined the lives of thousands of women who were arbitrarily left by their ignorant husbands by uttering the triple talaaq in one go.
