Concerning Divorce
Divorce in Islam
~ 17 ~
DIVORCE IN ISLAM
Nature demands that men and women lead their
lives together. The ideal way of leading such a life
is, according to the
shari‘ah,
within the bonds of
marriage. In Islam, marriage is both a civil contract
entered into by mutual consent of the bride and
groom, and a highly sacred bond to which great
religious and social importance is attached. As an
institution, it is a cohesive force in society, and
worth protecting and preserving for that reason. To
that end, detailed injunctions have been prescribed
to maintain its stability and promote its betterment.
However, in the knowledge that an excess of legal
constraints can lead to rebellion, such injunctions
have been kept to a realistic minimum and have
been formulated to be consistent with normal
human capabilities. Moreover, their enforcement is
less relied upon than the religious conditioning of
the individual to ensure the maintenance of high
ethical standards and appropriate conduct in
marital affairs and family life.
