Document Type : Research/Original/Regular

Author

• Mohamad Hasanzadeh

PhD in jurisprudence and Islamic law, University of Tehran

Abstract

wife and family; An important principle in the Islamic jurisprudence system, whose effective effects on the society have separated it from other related issues. In the meantime, the process of annulment of marriage or divorce with all its aspects is more important than other issues of this law. Talaq Khula, which today has received many legal appeals in family courts, is subject to substantive analysis due to the widespread prevalence of it in the society. Among the things that can be considered is the meaning of valid disgust in it from the side of the wife. Contrary to the popular opinion and text of the later jurisprudence books as well as the civil law of the Islamic Republic of Iran, what is stated in the narrations and the evidences for the derivation of jurisprudence is not hatred in the literal sense of the unmarried wife's hatred of her husband, and the hatred is not due to the non-observance of marital duties. Also, the non-establishment of divine limits on the part of the wife is a matter of opinion. Since the following analysis is without any research related to its topic, it has shown manifestations of the dynamism and innovation of Jafari's jurisprudence and has opened a new path in relation to the establishment and amendment of civil laws regarding divorce.

Highlights

Background and Purpose

 From the lexical point of view, the word ‘kerahat’ (reluctance) is a noun derived from either ‘karh’ or ‘korh’. Basically, it means dissatisfaction, hardship, or unpleasant feeling toward something (Ibn Faris, 1984, Ragheb Esfahani, 1992). But what is important is the inferential evidence in the religious rules on the meaning of ‘kerahat’. The Holy Qur'an states some decrees about divorce. For example, »At the time of divorce, the man should not withhold anything that he gave to the woman as dowry and property in exchange for divorcing her«. The continuation of the verse, however, considers it permissible to take property in divorce only when "there is a fear that the rules set by God will not be observed" (Qur’an, 2:229). In jurisprudential terms, khul’ divorce is considered district from other types of divorce. In fact, its distinction is due to the probable non-implementation of divine decrees in married life (Shahid Sani, 1992; Salar Deylami, 1984). In other words, the only reason for accepting khul’ divorce is the fear of non-implementation of divine decrees during marriage.

In this regard, Tabarsi (1993) mentioned a hadith suggesting that the non-implementation of the divine laws is when a wife tells her husband »I swear to God I have not been faithful to you, I will not obey your order« (vol. 2: 578).

Many hadiths quoted from the Shia Imams mention the conditions and nature of khul’ divorce. For instance, the book Wasael al-Shia, authored by Sheikh Hor Ameli, presents a set of hadiths related to khul’ divorce in a chapter under the title ‘the wife's kerahat of her husband’. To explain the reason for khul’ divorce, Ameli refers to nonfeasance in marital rights and duties, and then he uses the word ‘kerahat’ as the consequence of that evil. This word has, thus, taken on a new meaning (Sheikh Hor Ameli, 1988). However, a search through the quotes of Imams and the criteria proposed for khul' divorce shows that kerahat is not mentioned as a condition for khul’ divorce. To prove it, some hadiths about this issue are presented in this study. For example, as authentically quoted from Imam Baghir, if a wife tells her husband that she is no longer willing to obey or accompany him, he is permitted to deprive her of money, and the divorce is not revocable once it occurs, i.e., the divorce is permanent (ibid; Tousi, 1979). In this hadith, there is no word of kerahat, and the only condition for khul’ divorce is the avoidance of marital duties by the wife.

It should be noted that jurists have drawn upon Article 1146 in the civil law of the Islamic Republic of Iran to analyze the nature of kerahat in khul’ divorce, and they have expressed different opinions in this regard. This legal article and the opinions of some jurists are investigated in the present study. Based on these sources, the wife's kerahat is the main reason for khul’ divorce. Some other jurists have accepted the literal meaning of kerahat in khul’ divorce, thus believing that khul’ divorce refers to a situation in which the wife hates the husband, gives him some property as a ‘fedyeh’ (a ransom) , and then gets divorced. In this case, the divorce is a bound one which occurs in return for a fedyeh (Katouzian, 2014). The judicial opinions generally impart that hatred or reluctance is the reason for khul’ divorce. So, in the absence of such a reason, there is no khul’ divorce to realize.

Method

This research was conducted with a descriptive-analytical method, and the data were collected through library sources and documents as well as similar research models. The available inferential pieces of evidence were examined to verify the research hypothesis.

Results

The kerahat (reluctance or hatred) that leads to divorce is valid only if it is due to the nonfeasance of one of the spouses in performing rituals or his or her avoidance of fulfilling marital duties. Therefore, merely the literal meaning of kerahat is not adequate to serve as a jurisprudential basis for divorce.

Discussion & Conclusion

What was discussed in this study shows that, contrary to the common notion in jurisprudence and law, the literal meaning of the word ‘kerahat’ is not intended in the Qur'an or any books of hadith as a condition for divorce. In fact, according to the religious rules, the validity of a wife's reluctance for her husband as a condition for khul’ divorce is based on the man’s avoidance of rituals or his nonfeasance in marital rights. The opinion of those jurisprudents who literally take kerahat as a reason for divorce is re-interpreted to denote the concept of nonfeasance in the fulfillment of marital rights, hence considered in line with all the other religious rules related to divorce.

Keywords

• Hatred
• divorce
• hating spouses

Main Subjects

• divorce