JEDDAH: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has strongly warned against maltreating women in any form and said this is totally against Islam.
In his Friday sermon at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, the mufti said only bad people treat women badly.
"The psychological or physical abuse of wives, daughters and sisters is against the Islamic Shariah and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)," he said.
Al-Asheikh warned husbands and fathers who take the salaries of their wives and daughters that they are committing anti-Islamic acts.
"The fathers who make it a condition to have their daughters' salaries before they give their consent for marriage are equally wrong. Husbands who force their working wives to share in home expenses are committing erroneous acts. Islam made it the responsibility of the man to spend on the house," he told the worshippers.
The mufti also said it is haram (forbidden in Islam) when husbands ask their wives who request divorce to return the dowry before they consent to divorce. He also said burdening women with bank loans and letting them suffer the payment of installments is equally haram.
The mufti said polygamy, which is allowed by Islam under the condition of being just and fair, is not a loose right. "The first wife should have all her rights," he said.
He also warned against relying on matchmakers who draw a bright picture of the groom who may turn out in the end to be an unethical and irresponsible man.
"Matchmakers should convey a true picture of the groom and the bride," he said.
The mufti asked people to make the Prophet a role model in his treatment of women, citing a number of Hadiths that the Prophet never maltreated women.
"The Prophet was completely refined in the treatment of his wives, daughter and other Muslim women," he said.
The Prophet has said: "The best of you are the best to their wives; and I am the best to my wives."
The Ministry of Social Affairs has toll free telephone numbers in several cities and towns for women to report cases of violence against them.
posted
I find some of his comments very belittling to women. Plenty of working women take pride in sharing the duty of paying for the house/household things and bills. It isn't a burden that us poor little women cannot handle, it is a responsibility we want to share with our partner.
-------------------- Another one.... Posts: 2573 | From: England | Registered: Jun 2008
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posted
@ WK this is in the context of force. If a couple agrees to share expenses fair enough, but some people are in the habit of taking their wives/daughters salaries/money as a right. Under Islamic rules, women are entitled to be financially provided for.This allows a woman to choose to stay at home to care for children/elderly in places where childcare/nursing facilities are not available/common.
Posts: 195 | From: Nottingham, England | Registered: Jan 2009
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I find some of his comments very belittling to women.
They are to you and me. But this fatwa was issued by the Saudi grand mufti and mainly targeted at Saudis. In this context, it's surprisingly positive.
Posts: 3587 | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by weirdkitty: I find some of his comments very belittling to women. Plenty of working women take pride in sharing the duty of paying for the house/household things and bills. It isn't a burden that us poor little women cannot handle, it is a responsibility we want to share with our partner.
There was a story, here somewhere I think, about a bunch of Saudi women protesting their right to marry. They were highly skilled and good earners and apparently their families wouldn't let them even have the opportunity to meet someone to marry, let alone making introductions, because they were pocketing their salaries. A lot of these women were in their 40s and were just being used as a meal ticket. I took the guy to be addressing this, in part at least.
Posts: 1678 | From: New Egypt Forum - http://www.egyptalk.com/forum/ | Registered: Dec 2009
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Surely somewhere in the Koran etc there is some thought that maybe women might evolve culturally enough to be treated with a little less condescension and a little more respect. Many Muslim men I have met, whilst apparently good Muslims, have even treated me like some kind of doll, unable to form an opinion on anything. They must know how dumb this makes them look. On the other hand I've met a lot of well educated Egyptian wives who are quite content to be lazy greedy blobs.
Posts: 1399 | From: alexandria | Registered: Jan 2002
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