Penalties sought on pronouncing three divorces in a sitting

Barelvi ulema say the practice violates Sharia

LAHORE: Pronouncing three divorces in a sitting is contrary to the procedure laid down by Islamic Sharia. Those who practice it should be punished, says the Sharia Board of Tanzim Ittehad-i-Ummat, a think tank associated with Barelvi school of thought.

In a statement issued on Sunday, around 50 TIU ulema suggested that the government should legislate penalties for those who pronounce three divorces in a sitting. It said the practice was in violation of the teachings of Sharia. It said it was responsible for the damage done to the institution of the family. Legislation to stop this practice is a need of the hour, It added.



Referring to a hadith of the holy prophet (peace be upon him), the statement said that divorce was the most disliked of all the permissible acts in Islam.

TIU chairman Ziaul Haq Naqashbandi told The Express Tribune that the customary practice of divorce in the society was contrary to the procedure laid down in the Sharia. He said the holy prophet had denounced the practice and during Hazrat Umar’s rule (RA) men found to have divorced their wives in such a manner were given harsh punishments.



He said the procedure laid down for divorce in the Sharia allowed pronouncing only one divorce in the period of a tuhr (one menstrual cycle). He said the first two divorces could be revoked but the third was not.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2016.