Shariah Reform In India : India Abolishes "Non Quranic" Triple Talaq or Talak Tiga

The news has gone viral that the Indian Supreme Court has outlawed as illegal the Sunni concept of triple talaq. I say Sunni because I dont know what the other non Sunni religious sects may say. Shariah is almost entirely dependent on its sectarian beliefs. First here is the news from the well regarded Indian newspaper "India Today".  

Written by Javed Anand

In his article on how religions evolve (‘Let’s talk to the Book’, IE, July 15), Ramesh Venkataraman makes the interesting proposition that the ongoing debate on triple talaq in the country signals the welcome stirring of the reform process in Indian Islam.

in their slow march forward Indian Muslims are way behind their co-religionists elsewhere :

• who have been asking tough questions of their Book
• making bold demands of their faith and its followers. 

On gender justice, a good example is the oft-quoted verse 4:34 (Venkataraman quotes it partially): “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband’s) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly).” 

(MY comments : Ok folks I got tired. Please go and read about the Indian Supreme Court ruling yourself. It is all over the Net.  

Allow me to do a quick Dr Maza type interruption here. This is an English translation of the Surah 4:34.  First of all the last part of this verse is missing. That is the critical part.

There is no "beating the wife" in the Quran.  Note that the English translation is cut up into a few short sentences. Well in the original arabic there are no 'periods' (full stop). The original arabic is quite a long verse that is read continuously. 

Obviously the translators / interpreters have chopped the verse into many short sentences, hence the mistaken understanding.  

More importantly the word  'daraba' ('beat')  is used numerous times throughout the Quran. Please note that it  does not always mean "to beat".  Daraba also means to journey, to strike across the land etc, to show or strike (an example) etc. 

The Pakistani Ahmed Ali translation translates the last part of 4:34 as meaning 'journey with the women or be with them when they do not rebel anymore'.  Not 'beat them'.) 

But how do you “read past” any verse of the Quran if as a believing Muslim for you it is an absolute article of faith that the Quran is the Word of Allah 

My comments :  Herein lies the entire source of all the problems and also the complete solution to all the problems caused by the religious people. 

ALL THESE THINGS ARE NOT IN THE QURAN. 

I REPEAT 'ALL THESE THINGS ARE NOT IN THE QURAN".

IT IS NOT ONLY DISHONEST BUT ALSO INTELLECTUALLY LAZY TO BLAME THE QURAN FOR THINGS THAT ARE NOT IN THE QURAN.

SO WHERE DO THESE COME FROM?

OBVIOUSLY THEY COME FROM OUTSIDE THE QURAN.

QUESTION : SO WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

ANSWER :   JUST STICK TO THE QURAN.

End of my comment here.

In other words, constrained by the time and place of revelation — seventh century Arabia — the Quran could not possibly be a Magna Carta of gender justice

My comments :  Oh really? Is that so? The Quran is locked in the time warp of the 7th century? 

Well here are some verses of the Quran about divorce that are even more "advanced" than the most secular and liberal western societies in the 21st century.   Read carefully ok.

2:229 Divorce may be retracted twice. The divorced woman shall be allowed to live in the same home amicably, or leave it amicably.  (translator Khalifa)

2:229 Pickthall    Divorce must be pronounced twice and then (a woman) must be retained in honour or released in kindness (translator Muhammad Pickthall)

2:229     The divorce is twice, after that, either you retain her on reasonable terms or release her with kindness. (Hilali-Khan.)

Yusuf Ali    2:229 A divorce is only permissible twice: after that, the parties should either hold Together on equitable terms, or separate with kindness.

 

So these translations say that after divorce the divorced woman

• can remain in the same home amicably
• retained in honor
• retain her on reasonable terms
• either parties should hold together on equitable terms.

So Muslims and non Muslims alike, please go and check your Quran. This was written in the 7th century. Even California is not as progressive or liberal as this.

Here is more about "retaining the women amicably"  after divorce:

Surah 2:231  If you divorce the women, once they fulfill their interim (three menstruations), you shall allow them to live in the same home amicably, or let them leave amicably. Do not force them to stay against their will, as a revenge (Khalifa)

Surah 2:231  And when you divorce women and they reach their prescribed time, then either retain them in good fellowship or set them free with liberality  and do not retain them for injury (Shakir)

Surah 2:231 And when you divorce women and they approach the end of their appointed period, then either retain them in a becoming manner or send them away in a becoming manner but retain them not wrongfully (Sher Ali)

These translations of 2:231 say that after divorce  :

• allow the divorced women to live in the same home amicably
• retain them in good fellowship
• retain them in a becoming manner

Yo folks, Muslims and non Muslims, please go and check your Quran (translation or original arabic). This is what the Quran says. This is what is written in the Quran.

Here is one more about divorce :

Surah 2:232  If you divorce the women, once they fulfill their interim, do not prevent them from remarrying their husbands, if they reconcile amicably.

The words talaq tiga or three talaq are not found anywhere in the Quran. It is (once again) a derived argument. 

Unfortunately many confused people out there, especially in the West, want to help "reform Islam" by "rewriting the Quran" or "throwing out parts of the Quran".

You are wrong.

Do not be lazy - intellectually and academically.

The first step is POINT WITH YOUR FINGER exactly where the Quran says what YOU think it says.

If it is NOT in the Quran, then dont attribute extra Quranic ideas, non Quranic ideas or unQuranic ideas to the Quran. That is lazy, simple and dishonest.

The second step is read the arabic Quran closely. Pay close attention to how the Quran is written.

 

You must ascertain first what exactly the Quran says about anything.

For example, you always raise a house on top of the foundation.

And that is what the translators say.

But in the Arabic Quran it says "raise a foundation on top of a house".

A very upside down construction technique.

But this is exactly what the Quran says. Pay attention.

So what does it mean? The Quran is precise. So please be precise with the Quran.

DO NOT BE ACADEMICALLY LAZY. 

p.s. I have much less time to blog folks.  Handling some more down to earth matters. The GST is killing the economy. Another friend closed his business recently. Businesses are shutting down everywhere. Will try to keep up.