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ody which meant that she became unlawful to him and in general,
he divorced her. This pronouncement made it illegal for a man
to resume the marital life with his wife and was a divorce which freed
the husband from any responsibility for marital tasks while
preventing the wife from remarrying again to another man. We learn
that 'Aws Bin al-Sams% divorced his wife in this way. But it was
hard for his wife Khav4a to accept that situation particularly since
she had small children with no resources to support them and under,
Zlhýr, the husband was not responsible for supporting them, so she
r-
went to the Prophet urging her plea. Here, the custom and that
kind of divorce was abolished by the Qurlan and her plea was
accepted. as the Qurlan says:
"If any men among you divorce their wives by, Zih7ar
(calling them mothers). they cannot be their inothers.
None can be their mothers except those who gave them
birth. And in fact, they use words (both)
iniquitous and false, but truly God is one that blots
out (sins) and forgives. " 1
Islam condemned this'custom and laid down conditicns if a man
committed this practice and then wished to return to his wife..
'But those who divorce their wives by Zih; r, then wish to go back
on the words they utterred. (it is ordained that such a one)
should free a slave before they touch each other: This are you
admonished to perform: and God is well acquainted with (all) that
ye do. And if any has not (the wherewithal) he should fast for
two months consecutively before they touch each other. But if any
is unable to do so, he should feed sixty indigent ones*'
C
3. The third kind was called al-khul: Divorce* in general. the man
had the complete right in divorcing his wife$ but in this kind of
1. Q. 58.2
2. Q. 58.2.3. and 4.
2
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