Islam - Its Meaning for Modern Man — Page 247
247 and is easily hurt. On another occasion he explained that woman is by her nature like a rib. You can straighten it out with persistent gentleness, but if you try to straighten it out suddenly, you are likely to break it. Islam does not regard marriage as an indissoluble sacrament. It is a civil contract, importing mutual duties and obligations. An essential feature of the contract is a settlement by the husband on the wife, called dower (4:5), so that the wife should own some property of her own over which she has complete control. Divorce is permitted in Islam, but the Prophet has said that of all things permitted, the most obnoxious in the sight of God is divorce. The process of divorce is spread over a period, during which every effort must be made at smoothing out differences and at reconciliation. If differences become acute, the counsel and help of mediators, one from the wife’s people and one from the husband’s, should be sought (4:36). If divorce is finally decided upon, the husband cannot take away from the wife anything he has given her (4:21 ⎯ 22), and must make suitable provision for her over a period of six months, which is normally required for the process to be completed. If husband and wife are reconciled to each other during this period, the divorce proceedings are dropped (2:229 ⎯ 230).