Divorce in Islam

the sole way of unity in this world is to live unitedly despite differences. This can be achieved only through patience and tolerance, virtues advocated by the Prophet not only in a general sense but, more importantly, in the particular context of married life. Without these qualities, there can be no stability in the marriage bond. According to Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet said, “No believing man should bear any grudge against a believing woman. If one of her ways is not to his liking, there must be many things about her that would please him.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1469) It is accepted that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, plus and minus points. This is equally true of husbands and wives. In the marital situation, the best policy is for each partner to concentrate on the plus points of the other while ignoring the minus points. If a husband and wife can see the value of this maxim and consciously adopt it as the main guiding principle in their lives, they will have a far better chance of their marriage remaining stable. However, it sometimes happens, with or without reason, that unpleasantness crops up and increases between husband and wife, with no apparent indication of their ability to smooth things out by themselves. Their thinking about each other in a way conditioned by their maladjustment prevents them from arriving at a just settlement of their differences based on facts rather than opinions. In such a case, according to the Quran (4:35), the best strategy is to introduce a third party who will act as an arbiter. Not