Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
9. Dowry
~ 219 ~
complaints, attempt to intervene. Their hostile
attitude in the long run only causes their daughter
to suffer more. Whenever there is a clash between
the weak and the strong, it is always the former
who suffer and, of course, within the bonds of
marriage, it is always the girl who is in the weaker
position. Parents do not realize the damage they do
to their own daughter’s life in waging an unending
war against her in-laws. But, as the old saying goes,
“Every father is a fool where his children are
concerned.”
Where parents are blinded by their affection for
their daughter, it is up to the girl herself to think
objectively. Suppose, as a customer in a shop, she
attempted to appropriate items for which she had
not paid. Obviously these goods would be withheld
from her by the shopkeeper. You have to give
before you get. Similarly, in her parents-in-law’s
home, if she demands their attention, care and
affection without having given any of these things
to them, she cannot expect them to behave towards
her with absolute perfection. You must pay the
price of the goods you wish to possess.
