Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 181
! ! 181 equivalent to slavery, w hich can never be allowed. Deceit is not Permitted Even if it is not a case of slavery , it is still unwarranted to commit any action which would cause a woman harm. Such dealings are deceitful and are not permi tted. If a child sells his family house , would this contract be binding ? Certainly not! For he is un able to fully comprehend the consequences of such a deal, thus his actions would not be taken seriously. Similarly, it is not right if a woman’s meh r is taken from her when she is naïve and unaware of future financial needs. When c an a Woman Give h er M ehr ? Certainly , if a woman has been given her mehr and keeps the amount for four to five years or at least a year , and she then wishes to give it to her husband or parents , I would say that is acceptable and much appreciated. If a woman’s mehr is a thousand [rupees] , and her husband gives her an addit ional hundred thousand, and after ascertaining her needs and cir cumstances, she gives a hundred - and - one - thousand rupees to her parents , I would say she acted very nobly. Yet again , if her parents take the money from the onset of her marriage, th is would be tantamount to slavery , which is a sin. However, if a woman helps her parents after her marriage and after assessing her own needs , by giving them not only her mehr , but an additional amount , she will find acceptance with God Almighty and the Holy Prophet sa and will set an example as a devoted daughter. Thus, this is the Islam ic doctrine and whosoever acts contrary to this, will violate culture, civilization, and political principles. ( Misbah , June 1941)