Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
7. Concerning divorce
~ 153 ~
It is obvious that Manu was not careless in selecting
her partner. She travelled from America to find a
suitable match in her birth place. But all that glitters
is not gold. Our human limitations make it
impossible for us to understand every facet of a
person’s character before entering into a
relationship with him. The question arises if, after
such revelations, one should feel forced to respect a
marriage bond even at the cost of one’s life? When
society considers separation taboo, or the laws on
this show no human leniency, the only alternative
left for such incompatible couples is either to
commit suicide, or waste away the whole of their
lives in the “darkest despair.” Even when one dares
to surmount the hurdle of divorce, it is very difficult
to get remarried in societies where divorcees are
looked down upon. One can at best marry someone
beneath one’s social status. But in Islam remarriage
is not a taboo: the Prophet himself married a
widow. The provisions of Islam are thus a great
blessing to couples who realize only too late that
they have erred in making their choice of a partner.
Islam provides for them to separate amicably, in a
spirit of goodwill.
