Basic HTML Version
XIV
THE QURAN
the bridegroom or his representative and the guardian or
representative of the bride in the presence of two witnesses.
Marriage is usually contracted in a ceremonial gathering.
To have a valid marriage contract the bride must not be one of
those whom the bridegroom is prohibited to marry on account of
kinship or suckling, or a marriage relationship.
The dowry, which must according to
sunna
be reasonable,
belongs to the wife. The wife also has the right to get it all before
marriage is consummated. However, a part of it may be deferred
and paid later. In this case the deferred part becomes a debt
which the wife gets upon divorce or upon the husband's death. In
case of the wife's death, the unpaid part goes to her heirs.
In certain circumstances a man can have four wives at the same
time provided he is just in dealing with them.
While the Sunnites consider
mut'a
or temporary marriage as
illegal, the Shiites practice it. The marriage of the
muhallil
(who
temporarily marries a divorced wife to make it possible for her to
go back to her husband) is illegal because it is temporary.
12. Divorce
God permits divorce in order that an end be put to hopelessly
troubled marriages. Divorce, however, through God's mercy, has
to be pronounced thrice in order to give the opportunity to each
of the spouses to try to save the marriage. God has given the
husband the right to divorce because he is more responsible and
more considerate of the consequences. On drawing the marriage
contract, however, or at any time later, the wife can be entitled by