|
Session Details |
| Guest Name |
Amatullah Abdullah
|
| Profession |
Editor, writer |
| Subject |
Muslim Women & the Family Law in
India |
| Date |
Tuesday,Dec 13 ,2005 |
| Time |
Makkah
From...
10:30...To... 16:03
GMT
From... 07:30...To...13:03 |
| |
| Name |
Jemila - |
| Profession |
Business woman |
| Question |
There seems to be a great difference between
the family law courts, those who make spontaneous fatwas for any
given situation (like Imrana), Personal Law and Family Law in India.
Please could you explain?
|
| Answer |
As salamu `alaykum,
In Islam,
both dunya(worldly) knowledge and religious knowledge are
essential according to Islam. Both are inter-related. Having
worldly knowledge helps one to appreciate and understand Allahs
Creation, His attributes, His Word and His Prophet. Acquiring
religious knowledge helps us live better in this world, and to
understand it more completely. Both depend on each other, it is
really not wise to segregate knowledge into two different things.
Maulana who gives fatwas should be educated in bothe wordly
knowledge as well as Shari`ah. According to Islam we ( Qhadhi's or
Maulana who is the head) should examine the circumstances of the
incidents before passing a Fatwa, but these fatwas which they give
are purely based on their bookish knowledge, they have failed to
examine real life situations.
|
| |
| Name |
Johanna - |
| Profession |
teacher |
| Question |
As salamu `alaykum Ms.
Could
you please up date us on the Imrana case? And there was another case
with Jahanara. Actually, what is the background? Our reports mainly
come from the western media which did well to convey a bad picture.
|
| Answer |
As Salamu `alaykum,
The news
here is also tainted. The media exaggerates the case of Muslim
women. There are many Muslim women who are caught in these
situations which is aganist Islam. This is mainly due to their lack
of knowledge on Islam. These kinds of "Muslims" still live in the
age of Jahiliyyah ( Age of Darkness).
Jahanara's Case
is similar to Imrana's case :
A traditional Muslim court
in Assam's Nagaon district has asked a 20-year old woman to divorce
her husband after her father-in-law reportedly raped her. The court
was approached by the woman's husband.
"I have been raped in
that house. I am not going to go there again," said Jahanara, the
victim.
The incident occurred on May 25 when Jahanara's
husband and mother-in-law had gone to Dimapur. Neighbours say they
were aware of the father-in-law's advances.
"I heard about
it. That night we knew that the man was abusing her," a neighbor
said. "We came to know that he had indeed molested her and even
tried to strangulate her," said a relative.
Jahanara has now
filed an FIR and is now living with her parents, having refused to
return to her in-laws' house.
Meanwhile, her husband has
rejected the talaq, defying the local Muslim court more>>>
|
| |
| Name |
yasmeen - Belgium |
| Profession |
nurse |
| Question |
As salamu `alaykum,
If a
husband does not want to have children with his wife because he
doesn't feel that she will raise them the way he wants grounds
enough for divorce?
He refuses to talk about having
children, or the expectations he has. Both of us have discussed
separating because of other issues, but when he said that he didn't
want kids because he isn't sure I can do what he wants, I have lost
interest in making it work - I am young and want to have a family.
|
| Answer |
As salamu `alaykum sister,
Sister I know this must be really hard for any woman to be
in your situation. I personally would feel the same way as you do.
In Islam, marriage is a very sacred contract. There
should be tranquility in the relationship.Islam strongly recommends
communication between spouses.
Yes in Islam a woman has all
rights to divorce her husband but we need to see to it that we have
taken all measures to save the marriage first. I think, you should
first try to educate him with the sayings of Prophet Muhammed (saw)
regarding family life.
I am sure you know your situation
better than all of us, so before taking any decisions, please pray
two rakats of Istikhara and go ahead.
`In
sha'Allah Allah will make your life easy.
|
| |
| Name |
Hwaa - |
| Profession |
educationalist |
| Question |
As salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa
barakatuh sister Amatullah.
Could you tell us some more
about the situation for Muslim women in India? the press has said
much that gives the impression that Indian Muslim women are worse
off than women in the rest of the world. How true is this and if it
is not true what is the reality for Indian Muslim women - or is this
just another generalization?
|
| Answer |
As salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa
barakatuh,
Well it is true that Indian Muslim woman have
become victims of culture. Even I have witnessed and experienced the
efects of culture. Life is a jihad (struggle) for most of us.
Culture has crept into Islam so much that there are many
woman who are ignorant thinking that this 'culture' is Islam. Those
who have realized or discovered Islam and who have understood the
horrible side of culture are struggling in their day-to-day life.
But I would say this is just not confined to Indian Muslim
women alone. Muslim women all over the world have become victims of
culture.
As I have mentioned earlier the media always
exaggerates and generalizes the actual situation. Al hamdu
Lillah! Now some Muslims have started realizing their
responsibilities and are demanding their rights too. It may not be
easy for them to get their rights, but if they are strong and firm
in implementing Allah's word , `In sha'Allah it will come to
them very soon. Because Allah says in the Qur'an
"Do not
lose heart and do not grieve. You will be the uppermost if you are
believers" (`Alay e-Imran 3: 139).
It is time for us to
stop turning a blind eye to all this and start doing something about
it . After all, Allah commands us in His Quran to "stand out for
justice, even if it is against yourselves."
"O ye who
believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even
as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it
be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow
not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort
(justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well- acquainted
with all that ye do." (`Alay e-Imran, 4:135)
It
is time for believing men and women to stand up and protect our
sisters, while educating these brothers about the true Sunnah of the
Prophet (saw)!!
I would like to add one more thing that
there is nothing wrong in a culture as long as it does not
contradict the Qur'an and Sunnah. We fight only against those
practices which goes against Islam. |
| |
| Name |
Nur - Egypt |
| Profession |
doctor |
| Question |
You refer to women who live in a state of
ignorance - please could you explain?
|
| Answer |
As salamu `alaykum,
The
women who live in a state ignorance are women who are not aware of
Islam ( Qur'an and Sunnah) and they are also not aware of their own
rights which Islam has given them. Most of them hardly attend
schools after primary level. These women and types of people close
their eyes to reality and are reluctant to come out of their own
cultural world. That is why people tend to subjugate them. Some
people here think that Islam is all about haviing children and being
confined to their homes.
Yet there is another class of
Muslims who compete with the non-Muslims to a higher degree in this
world. This category is totally ignorant of the Hereafter and they
think our relationship to God is only prayers and they think Islam
does not care about things that is connected to their daily life.
They follow their own whims and fancies in these matters. These
people have become slaves to their desires. They fail to understand
that:
Islam is a way life and every act with the right
intention and done in the right way becomes an act of worship. It
guides us how to live our lives.
We ask Allah to grant
us the right knowledge and make all of us steadfast in the religion
and grant us success in this world and the Hereafter.
|
| |
| Name |
Mona - Egypt |
| Profession |
Doctor, |
| Question |
How can a good Muslim woman marry a man
with lesser knowledge and practice of religion. How can a woman like
this keep the balance between:
Being a good wife
Preserving her faith
Raising her children in deen without being influenced by
his poor practice in deen?
|
| Answer |
As salamu `alaykum
wrwb,
Firstly,we need to know whether you are married or
unmarried.If you are unmarried then the problem is simple. You must
choose a person who has good Islamic knowledge and who is compatible
with you in his ideas.
If you are married then,things have
to be sorted out in a different way.
1) To be a good wife,
you need to follow this hadith which the Prophet (saw) said
"the greatest blessing gor a man is a wife who gives him
pleasure when ever he sees her, and she guards his wealth and
honor. She must help him to strenghthen his iman and
taqwa
We must inculcate this character in us.
2) No matter what the circumstances are, she must be
steadfast with the Qur`an and Sunnah. As a wife,The easiest way to
preserve her faith is by educating the husband about Islam.
3) This is connected to your second question, how to
preserve faith and bringing up children along Islamic lines depends
upon educating the husband. Because if a man (head of the family)
changes, he influences the whole family, but that's not the same
with the woman, she has to strive hard.
Just because you are
a home-maker, you need not be confined within four walls, nor should
you ignore your family too. You can balance your life by setting a
time-table for yourself,devoting time to fulfilling your
responsibilities at home and to the society.
|
| |
| Name |
Dawn - Germany |
| Profession |
social worker |
| Question |
Do you consider women whose rights have
been abused to be ignorant?
|
| Answer |
As salamu `alaykum,
If a
woman who is trying to impliment her God given right and she is
abused for that, then she cannot be called ignorant. She is a
victim of an ignorant society.
Personally I have
experienced this too. When I tried to implement my God given rights,
people ignored (or I can even say) neglected it. So you see the
whole society should be reformed. Only then one can live in peace
`in sha'Allah.
|
| |
| Name |
Israa` - |
| Profession |
Student |
| Question |
Is it true that non-Muslims in India abort the
female fetus before they are born? Does it apply to Muslims in
India? If it does, what is the role they play in educating people
about how grave this big sin is knowing that Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)
had many girls.
|
| Answer |
As salamu `alaykum,
Yes it is
true that great number of people indulge in this grave sin. Even
some Muslims do that. The goverment has passed a law that the sex of
the child should not be revealed till the baby's birth and
alhamdu lillah after the passing of this law the crime rate
has decreased.
Measures are being taken by Islamic
organizations to educate the importance of the right to life.
We ask Allah to give hidaya (guidance) to all of us,
help us to help each other and realize the importance of the female
child. Ameen
-----------------------
Shukrillah to our guest Amatullah `Abdullah and to
our guests.
If there are further enquiries, please e-mail:
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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