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women as the Qurlan says:
For those who take an oath for abstention from
their wives, a waiting for four months is ordained;
if then, they return, Gcod is oft forgiving. Most
Merciful. 1
In such serious matters like that affecting the wife. Islam in
the first place disapproved of thoughtless oaths, but insisted on
solemn intentional oaths being scrupulously observed. Islam allowed
four months as a maximum period of separation between husband and wife
under any circumstances, if reconciliation is reached within the
period. the vow is nullified and the parties can resume their life
again. But if the husband is really against reconciliation.
divorce is required in these circumstances. The wife would be considered
divorced if the period (four mohths) expires before reconciliation.
and the marriage becomes dissolved, even without a confirmatory
pronouncement.
00
ý*
Ibn Umar used to say about Ila which Allah (God) defined (in
the Holy Book). 'if the period of IF
I17apexpires, then the husband has
either to retain his wife in a handsome manner. or to divorce her
as Allah has ordered.
2
Islam defines theoIli'period because it was
believed that a wife could tolerate her husband's abstention up to
C
four months without an abnormal reaction, and because of that, Umar
the second C aliph, ordered that fighting soldiers should not have to
be separated from their wives for more than four months.
2. The second form of divorce which was known in the pre-Islamic
period was called al-ZiharL_(literally, declaring. that his *if 9 is to him
like the back of his mother)
in which a man said to his wife: 'Be thou to me as the back of my
mother. j3 So the man describes his wife as part of his mother's
1. Q. 2.226-227
2. Sahih al-Bukharia, Vol. 7, P. 160
3. al-Jaziei. op. cit., Vol. 4, P. 478
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