Welcome to Ahmadiyyat, The True Islam — Page 429
− through the court. Such divorce is designated in Islamic jurisprudence as − Khul‘a. In case a husband should ill treat his wife, or should no longer be capable of discharging his obligations towards her, or should change his religion, or it should become difficult for the wife to continue to live with him on account of some incompatibility, she or her guardian can have recourse to the judge for dissolution of the marriage. In such case the judge should call upon the husband to show cause why the marriage should not be dissolved, and if he finds that the wife's complaint is justified he would decree dissolution of the marriage. As in the case of marriage the Islamic law requires the consent of not only the wife but also − that of her guardian, namely her father, or brother, or other near male relative, so also it does not approve of a wife departing from her husband of her own free will. It is obligatory upon her to have recourse to the judge for that purpose so that she should not come to harm on account of her lack of understanding. " (Chashma’i Ma‘rifat, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 23, pp. 276-291) − − − − POLYGAMY This is a subject that generates more misconceptions about Islam − than any other subject. Islam does allow polygamy, i. e. , having more than − one wife at the same time. However, it does not encourage it. Islam also − makes it obligatory for Muslims to obey the laws of marriage of the country they reside in. The Promised Messiah and Mahdi writes about the permission of as − polygamy in Islam: − "Some critics object that polygamy involves intemperance and that monogamy is the ideal system. This amounts to unwarranted interference in other people's affairs. It is well known that Islam permits marriage with − as many as four women at the same time, but there is no compulsion. All men and women are aware of this. It is permissible for a woman at the time of her marriage to obtain an assurance from her husband that he would not marry another wife during the currency of the marriage, in which case the husband would be bound to give effect to the assurance and is content with the law as it is, it does not behove any one else to raise an 429