Permission from earlier wives not required for new marriage: Sherani
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ISLAMABAD: After a gap of few months the chairman of Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani, has spoken again on his most talked-about topics — marriage, divorce and women.
Talking to reporters after a CCI meeting here on Wednesday, Maulana Sherani said men did not need to take permission from the first wife or previous wives for another marriage. He said that “some people are creating anarchy and discontent under the garb of women’s rights”.
Also read: Three consecutive declarations for divorce should be punishable offence: CII
As per Islamic principles, he added, men could have up to four wives at one time.
Criticising NGOs, he said some organisations working for human rights were spreading unrest in the society by trying to distort the facts.
The CII meeting was called to welcome its new members.
Maulana Sheerani, who is also an MNA of JUI-F, said the government had been suggested to amend the marriage laws as, according to him, Shariat has clearly defined the provisions of up to four marriages for men. He claimed that these provisions were easy to understand and follow.
The CII had held a meeting over the topic of marriage laws in the country in October last year in which Maulana Sherani said that women could not raise objection over the second or subsequent marriages of their husbands.
In another previous meeting of the CII, Maulana Sherani had said that the minimum age of a girl for marriage could be as young as 13 years provided she attains puberty.
He said the parliament was bound to follow the suggestions made by the CII regarding formulation of laws.
All bills presented in the parliament should be vetted by the CII as according to the Constitution all laws of the country should be formulated in accordance with the Holy Quran and Sunnah, he added.
Published in Dawn March 25th , 2015
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Comments (77) Closed
Mar 25, 2015 09:12am
This is why the country remains a cesspool of ignorance.
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Mar 25, 2015 09:51am
I am confused now. A few days ago a renowned mufti sahib stated the opposite. Are these people playing ping pong with the religion?
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Mar 25, 2015 09:53am
Yes that's true. Man does not have to take permission from his previous wives. I heard the same from Dr. Zakir Naik too.
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Mar 25, 2015 10:36am
Moulana ji, women have no independent status in your view. What a pathetic and backward thinking.
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Mar 25, 2015 10:37am
Rules are easy to understand, and follow........ according to Mr. Shirani.
I agree, and that is why I don't see any utility of Council of Islamic Ideology. Disband it, and send them home.
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Mar 25, 2015 10:44am
Really!! RIP Women rights.
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Mar 25, 2015 10:49am
But Mr. Chairman when you say Islamic laws are clear, then also devise some way to ensure that justice and fairness is ensured among all wives by the husband as stated by laws and sunnah.
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Mar 25, 2015 10:54am
Why Council of Islamic Ideology wasting time and energy for non issues. They should be concentrating to find solution of terrorism, corruption which has created anarchy in the society. Its seems that Pakistan Council of Islamic Ideology start and finish at women only.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:03am
He is right.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:10am
Girl's marriage soon upon puberty...and earlier wives nod not needed for men to marry again are exactly according to Islamic teachings for sure. But what took the Council so long to ratify these rules ?? The Council is in place since decades but it never opposed the law of land in this respect as being against the Shariah. Why ? What does it suggest ?
Does the Council work and decide matters as desired by the rulers ..and not speak against even if the prevailing laws are against Shariah ?
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Mar 25, 2015 11:11am
As per Islamic principles, men could have up to four wives at one time provided, they can religiously maintain a balance between the rights of all. And, that balance should include their right to quarrel between them equally and their common husband to judge impartially, without slightest favour to any.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:13am
@Atta. As far as i know this is true that permission is not required from earlier wives but with this there is another condition to treat them equally which i think is more strict rule if looked in depth.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:14am
@Atta : Those living on "Muftas" cannot be fair to anyone other than their own selves.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:36am
The world is filled with self-proclaimed scholars who think that Shariah is what they 'think' is right ... mixing 'desireables' with 'enforceable law'. Its desirable to seek permission from the first wife, its NOT compulsory to do so and no you can't throw a man in jail for doing so. On the other hand what is present in shariah is that a man must distribute equal love, time and other resources among his wives.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:37am
University degree ,law dagree and phd in in islamic law should be obligatory to give Fatwa.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:38am
Is their any say of the women here... Who gives these bearded people the right to make such decisions. Not every man is kind or just, still all of them enjoy the same power over women, very regressive and degrading for women.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:43am
Country's laws need to be followed.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:49am
Every law needs to be vetted by CII ? Sounds like a perfect blue print to create hell on earth.
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Mar 25, 2015 12:00pm
CII should be abolished. We already have a parliament for legislation
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Mar 25, 2015 12:04pm
No one is listening to you. So don't waste your energy.
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Mar 25, 2015 12:07pm
Does it matter? Even if permission is granted, is it of free will?
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Mar 25, 2015 12:19pm
Another burden on people and state .
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Mar 25, 2015 01:05pm
He(Mullana) just said what is stated in the shariat. And I agree him.
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Mar 25, 2015 01:09pm
CII is an advisory body, and the advise need to be sent to government, not make political point to win next election.
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Mar 25, 2015 01:25pm
Well how many actually ask earlier wive(s)? Not a single one will allow them if they asked!
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Mar 25, 2015 01:44pm
To all my friends who have commented... do we really have the thorough knowledge of the religion... every one is presenting his views, his opinion and his understanding of Islam.. I have failed to understand why making fuss of Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani views... We all have to right to practice and preach what we think is right... As long as you don't impose on others...
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Mar 25, 2015 01:44pm
Very wise decision by this wise man.
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Mar 25, 2015 01:45pm
First wife should only be informed. A permission not necessary.
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Mar 25, 2015 01:46pm
What is said in hadith and Koran , religious experts here please opine.
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Mar 25, 2015 01:46pm
Stone age
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Mar 25, 2015 01:47pm
Wise one is correct.
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Mar 25, 2015 01:49pm
These people are making Pakistanis more confused ...
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Mar 25, 2015 01:53pm
He does not belong to this era.
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Mar 25, 2015 01:54pm
@Mrs. Khan
Who is zakir naik ?
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Mar 25, 2015 01:56pm
What is the punishment of not seeking permission from your first wife? Does anyone know?
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Mar 25, 2015 02:03pm
He is so correct. Listen to the elders. Don't tamper with age old laws. If you want to, then openly state so, instead of taking cover under 'modernism', 'liberalism', 'true spirit of religion', etc.
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Mar 25, 2015 02:11pm
Nothing better to waster your energies and efforts than this. In these challenging times, scholars should guide muslims around the globe to advance in all fields and become a role model.
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Mar 25, 2015 02:16pm
LOL. Mankind has reached on Moon and Mars and a section of it is still stuck in 16th Century.
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Mar 25, 2015 02:19pm
Good idea.
Now give women the same freedom too. It will be fun, for all.
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Mar 25, 2015 02:22pm
Mr Chairman, how many Council of Islamic Ideology members are women? Did you ever ask Pakistani Muslim women what they think?
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Mar 25, 2015 02:23pm
Only solution. ...Rename the country to 'Republic of Pakistan'. Religion should not be affair of the state. It should be a personal right.
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Mar 25, 2015 02:42pm
@Kris Arjun Yes, it does indeed. I thought all bills presented in the parliament should be vetted by democratecally chosen people in the parliament. We call them MP's.
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Mar 25, 2015 02:56pm
@peace I second that.
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Mar 25, 2015 03:25pm
@M.Saeed : Yes, they are living on "Muftas" and reply they are writing the books...........
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Mar 25, 2015 03:42pm
Nobody can afford more than one wife now a days
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Mar 25, 2015 03:53pm
He is a sick man
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Mar 25, 2015 04:08pm
Even more astounding than the CII's obsessions are the loving and approving comments!
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Mar 25, 2015 04:09pm
Mr.sherani ,please come out of aquarium and explore the deep ocean .
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Mar 25, 2015 04:24pm
Why are these guys quoting 5-6th century laws??
Get out of that primitive age guys!!!!
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Mar 25, 2015 04:41pm
But why would your require a permission from the first wife. If she does not want it, she can apply for a divorce. As simple as that
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Mar 25, 2015 04:42pm
@Well wisher women can apply for a divorce if they do not want to live with the man because of his second marriage
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Mar 25, 2015 04:45pm
@Common Citizen . forget about the second marriage, can "You" devise law that will ensure that men give 100% of rights to the first wife. I guess no. So why not ban the first marriage as well :))
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Mar 25, 2015 04:50pm
@M.Saeed .But that does not bar someone legally from marrying 4 times. For example if people do not fulfil rights of their only wives, does that mean you have to ban the first marriage as well - no. If any of the four wives think that the person is behaving unjustly, they can go to the court / qazi to claim their rights or apply for khula on this base. Same is the case if you have only 1 wife
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Mar 25, 2015 04:51pm
@Ashwin It is not just a matter of taking decisions. Islamic laws ..all of them...are clear and so there should be no word against this law. Permission of first /earlier wife/ wives are not required for sure....but at the same time men are ordered to be just with each / every wife. If men fail to follow this directive then they are surely sinful.
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Mar 25, 2015 05:43pm
Practise of middle ages being continues.....and we call ourselves a modern dynamic nation. What a contradiction....
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Mar 25, 2015 05:52pm
Maulana sahab is spot on. A man does not need permission from his wife to remarry however the Ulema do recommend that 2nd marriage should not be done without consultation as this would hurt the feelings of the wife.
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Mar 25, 2015 05:55pm
Rights of men and obligations of women that is what CII is all about.
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Mar 25, 2015 06:17pm
@khri the course of mufti is much more advanced than a mere phd in islamic law from some university. Please go and see the thesis of mufti it has more depth and research than thesis of phds from Iba lums and KU.
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Mar 25, 2015 06:18pm
Can any one comment on the percentage of males with multiple wives in Pakistan. I have'nt seen many educated people with more than wife.
The issue may be relevant to a few uneducated and backward people. Civilized people marry once and devote their lives to the upbringing and well being of wife and children
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Mar 25, 2015 06:28pm
@Realist It is not about what a Muslim woman thinks, it is what Allah said and found best for the mankind.
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Mar 25, 2015 06:43pm
All the men who are commenting in affirmation to this recommendation and CII members, should ask these questions to themselves first. How would they feel if husband of their daughters marry more women? or would they marry their own 13 year old daughter?
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Mar 25, 2015 06:53pm
The Maulana speaks the words of true wisdom.
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Mar 25, 2015 06:54pm
@Anon Mouse;
"On the other hand what is present in shariah is that a man must distribute equal love, time and other resources among his wives."
Of course it is a part of Shariah, but not all of Shariah is jurisdiction of the state. Under any system, state law deals with definable and measurable issues.
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Mar 25, 2015 06:54pm
Dr. Zakir Naik is best. His advice convinced many women on TV show and they were willing to accept their Husband's wishes.
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Mar 25, 2015 07:06pm
@Wow You "agree him"? That's says it all.
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Mar 25, 2015 07:31pm
@Zak You're a gem of a person.
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Mar 25, 2015 07:37pm
Mualana Sahib, you clearly stated the Men's rights but what about Men's OBLIGATION towards the wife or wives or better yet what does the sharia say about Women's rights as a wife or wives.
I believe this issues needs to be addressed and seen from both sides.
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Mar 25, 2015 07:42pm
With due respects,Which permission are we talking about the one which never has been seeked. A lot has been said about second marriage or third but nothing about being just to your first, second or third wife n children. The circumstances in which it is permitted should be discussed.How a man suppose to keep a balance and if he can't or won't he is answerable to All Mighty Allah SWT. Time to enlighten our men as well not just declaring tgat no permission is required.
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Mar 25, 2015 09:05pm
Common sense dictates that your first wife is your equal partner and as a mark of respect for your wife you should ask her before you marry a second wife. If a husband asks his first wife for a permission to marry a second wife that he is not committing any sin.
Will he be able to give them the equal rights and treat them equally? That is also an important issue.
We keep saying that Islam gives a lot of respect to women. When are we going to actually demonstrate it?
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Mar 25, 2015 09:11pm
@Wow and what the Maulana failed to tell you that you MUST treat all your wives equally. This is very difficult to do.
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Mar 26, 2015 03:42am
The more religious scholars a country has, more problems that country has. Fewer religious scholars, better it is AND it applies to all religions.
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Mar 26, 2015 04:11am
Islam says that the man cannot treat one wife better than the other. And I'm pretty sure marrying one wife at the disapproval of another is mistreatment of the first wife.
Sorry to see that people like these have any influence over Pakistanis at all. They're dragging society back by twisting the beautiful concepts of our religion instead of letting it flourish with equality. In an educated and mature Pakistan, a statement like this would be laughed at.
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Mar 26, 2015 09:35am
@Farrukh There is however an exception ...... if the first wife ensures that the marriage contract contains clauses preventing the husband from marrying again without her permission. However after reading extensively about such matters, I suspect that if wife No 1 did not give permission, the husband would simply divorce her and do what he wanted anyway.
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Mar 26, 2015 09:37am
@Anon Mouse And any man who does take a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th wife, without permission from existing wives is going to face contempt and scorn from them for the rest of his life.
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Mar 26, 2015 09:42am
@Asif none
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Mar 26, 2015 09:45am
@azmat Really? Divorce is so simple for women???
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Mar 26, 2015 09:10pm
Have we not done with this little argument during the last 67 years?
Oh God, what we are and where this society is being taken. Why not CII and likes start a TV channel to debate on these matters among themselves first.
Our society is so much divided on culture, language, provincial, political etc levels. But the CII and likes have stuck the nation into this ping pong kind of things.
Live the life of today, ask yourself what is right and what is wrong for such small matters. This kind of education we must have got during graduation in colleges and universities. Till what time do we need to move around the circles?
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