Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
7. Concerning divorce
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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 goes on
increasing between husband and wife, with no
apparent indication of their being able to smooth
things out by themsleves. Their thinking about each
other in a way that is conditioned by their
maladjustment prevents them from arriving at a
just settlement of their differences, based on facts
rather than on opinions. In such a case, the best
strategy according to the Qur’an is to introduce a
third party who will act as an arbiter. Not having
any previous association with the matters under
dispute, he will remain dispassionate and will be
able to arrive at an objective decision acceptable to
both parties.
