ISLAMIC APPROACH TO DIVORCE

2. If the divorced woman has a son who is an earning member of the family, the responsibility for her maintenance falls entirely upon him. “All that rightfully belongs to a wife will be the duty of the son to provide, that is, food, drink, clothes, house and even servants, if possible.” 3. In the case of father being deceased and where even her children are unable to earn, her nearest relatives, such as brothers or uncles, are responsible for her upkeep. In the absence of even this third form, the Islamic Shariah holds the State Treasury responsible for bearing her expenses. She will be entitled to receive the money for her necessities. Because of the number of provisions made under Islamic law for women, it has never been the case in Islamic history that Muslim divorced women have been cast adrift, helpless, with no one to look after them. The late writer Khushwant Singh remarked that we do not hear of Muslim women committing suicide or being tortured, which is a proof that Islam has already given them adequate liberty and has made enough provision for them to be supported in times of emergencies. A new dimension has been added to the issue since the women of the present age can leave their homes to work, and are therefore not entirely dependent on men as they used to be in the past. There is no need then to make laws in order to provide for them. They can now look after themselves. They receive equal pay. Only in exceptional cases they may need to be looked after. Ways and means of doing so can generally be worked out quite satisfactorily on a personal level. The Problem of Modern Civilization The modern civilization has been beset by many problems, many of which are more artificial than real. In many things modern civilization has adopted unnatural ways, thus giving rise to unnatural problems. The matter has further been worsened by attempts to solve them unnaturally. Problems have thus gone on increasing, instead of decreasing. The problem of divorce is one of them. The initial stimulus of the women’s lib movement was not wrong, but its leaders did not care to define its limits. In a bid to create a free society, their efforts culminated in the creation of a permissive society. Affairs between men Because of the number of provisions made under Islamic law for women, it has never been the case in Islamic history that Muslim divorced women have been cast adrift, helpless, with no one to look after them.