A large number of Muslim men take no notice of women qula, a form of divorce, according to Mohammed Rafiuddin, a social activist who is in command of Sharayee Council, an NGO trying to provide relief to women who want to be freed from marriages due to incompatible line of reasoning.
In spite of the fact that his agency has taken up this serious issue with several religious scholars and institutions, no concrete results have come about, he said.
Just as the man has the right to divorce a woman, so does Islam give that right to woman to initiate a divorce. Although divorce is permissible in Islam, but it should be noted that it is not encouraged and if possible it should be avoided. If Islam has given a man the right to divorce his wife, it also gives a woman the right to seek divorce in the form of qula which should be granted to her.
According to a senior lawyer M M Firdous, qula is “purchase” of divorce by women, in which they would have to go without their mehar (dower) and other benefits which could have be credited with to them via a regular divorce. However, men are holding back from agreeing to qula, leaving women in a vulnerable situation.
According to Rafiuddin, his organization received about 72 petitions last year from women seeking qula, but only a few men could be satisfied to agree to their wives’ request. “In some cases, men agreed for reconciliation and living a normal marital life. But there are cases where they do not agree to divorce or grant qula.