Islam and Divorce

on Saturday, August 24, 2013

Many non-Muslims take on Islam that it allows divorce; considering divorce as a sign of women’s contempt and of marriage’s sanctity. This idea arose from their ignorance of the teachings of Islam regarding human relationships. Those looked at divorce from one angle only which is the effect of divorce on women, but they did not bother looking at it from all its aspects ruling their unconscious passion ignoring the reasons behind allowing divorce and the benefits of it.

First of all, Islam tells its followers that marriage must be permanent between a man and a woman until death separates them, and that any timed marriage will be invalid.

On the other hand, Islam is a religion that comes in accordance with the human being nature and the differences among individuals, and understands very well how relationships could change between a wife and a husband after marriage that they get to a point that they can not sort out their personal problems by any other means but separation. Being this, divorce came as a realistic solution for many marriage problems.

Problems occur often between married couples for many reasons. A couple could get married, and after marriage they discover unseen differences in morality and characters, which makes each one considers the other as a stranger who is in total contradiction with him. Also it happens frequently that many defects, morals and behaviors came to surface only after marriage and after sharing the daily life with each other. These problems may last for a quite long time that each one can not stand spending the rest of his life with another person feeling that he was not the right choice from the beginning. It is well known that leaving problems as they are without a proper solution may generate bigger problems of betrayal, nervous breakdown, escaping or even killing or committing suicide.

That is why Allah allows divorce as a solution for the married couple so each one can find another proper spouse who shares their new lives, and may be better than their first choice. In Surat An-Nisā, (The Women, 4) verse 130 “But if they separate [by divorce], Allah will enrich each [of them] from His abundance. And ever is Allah Encompassing and Wise.”

In fact, divorce law in Islam encourages people to get married as prohibiting getting out of a relationship is in fact prohibiting building this relationship from the beginning. It is not far away that hatred and severe problems take place after marriage. In this case which would be better: giving a second chance to the man and the woman to find alternative spouse or continue their marriage having an affair with a stranger who would gladly offer them what they miss in their marriage?

When Islam allowed divorce, it allowed it as a last solution for the married couples’ problems. In addition, Allah advised Muslims to be patients when problems arise and encourages them to be kind with their wives even if they show what they hate them; in Surat An-Nisā, (The Women, 4) verse 19 ” And live with them [women] in kindness. For if you dislike them – perhaps you dislike a thing and Allah makes therein much good.”

Allowing divorce, Islam also put the rules of after-divorce so that divorce would not be the beginning of corruption of the family’s members by:

-Giving the mother the trusteeship of her children until they grow up
-Ordering the man to spend on his divorced woman and her children after divorce

Finally, Allah shows us that divorce is a legal solution for the severe problems of marriage, but on the other hand, He ordered Muslims to take it as a last solution after spending every single mean. Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) said that “the most hateful ‘Halal’ for Allah is divorce”



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