Woman Between Islam and Western Society
5. Position of Woman in the Islamic Shari‘ah
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words. This was particularly hard on Khawlah, who
loved her husband and had little children to
support. She lacked the means to provide for her
children, but, according to the convention of
zihar,
she could not claim any support from her husband.
She came, therefore, to the Prophet, laid the whole
case before him and urged him to assist her. But,
since up to that point no revelation had been made
to the Prophet on this subject, he could only reply
that she was no longer the lawful wife of her
husband.
On hearing this, Khawlah began to lament the ruin
of her home and the penury into which she and her
children would sink. She also told the Prophet that
her husband had not expressly stated that he was
divorcing her. But the Prophet could give her no
positive answer because he thought that by Arab
custom, the separation must already have taken
place. Then Khawlah could only weep and pray to
God to save her from ruin.
71
It was on this occasion that the
surah
58 of the
Qur’an entitled,
al-Mujadilah
(She Who Pleaded),
was revealed. It begins with these words:
