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TRIPLE TALAQ: A TRYST WITH TYRANNY

By
DR NAFEES AHMAD*
AAISHA KHAN**
The utopian union of the husband and wife is a perennial pre-requisite for conjugal
covertures. Islam, therefore, insists upon the synovial subsistence of a bridal brolly where
under husband and wife are basking. Primarily, no marriage is contract in Islam to be
dissolved in future. But in rare-avis situations this celestial celebration may came to an
end owing to the mawkish megrims of the spouses, particularly of men, though a divorce
may be either by act of husband or by act of the wife.
In pre-Islamic Arab World pertinent power of divorce (Talaq) possessed by the
husband was recklessly unlimited. Pronouncements and revocations of Talaq were devoid
of any recondite reasons and judicative justifications whatsoever. In post-Islamic Arab
World, when Holy Proph1ethood was bestowed upon the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) who
looked upon these concupiscent customs of divorce with dissentient disdain and
disapproval. Prophet of Islam (PBUH) regarded pervert practice as callously calculated to
hamstring the foundation of society. Prophet (PBUH) had to immaculately inculcate
Islamic injunctions and teachings in the macabre minds of Arabs who were acquiesced in
brutalisation, dehumanisation and subjugation of women from cradle to cremation. They
revelled in polygamy and polyandry, and misogyny and polygyny without any submission
to the supremacy of the Supreme Being; The Almighty Allah. Prior to Islam a husband
could desert his wife at a moment's notice. His repudiation (Talaq) of his wife operated as
an instant and final denouement of the conjugal contract. This right of repudiation
exercised by the husband stemmed from his exalted position as a purchaser of wife since
the institution of slavery and manumission was rampant.
The Holy Quran, of course, virtually suspended the effects of sufferance of
severance of matrimony until the expiry of the "waiting period" (Idda) which was to last
until the wife had completed three menstrual cycles or in case of her being pregnant, until
delivery of the child. This period is, primarily, designed and emplaced to provide an
opportunity for reconciliation between the spouses as per the Quranic injunctions,
meanwhile wife is entitled to maintenance from the husband. But it should be
rememberedthat the Prophet (PBUH) pronounced "Talaq to be the most detestable before

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*LL.M., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, AMU, Aligarh.
** Advocate, High Court Ad judicature at Allahabad-U.P.-India. Available at nafeestarana@gmail.com
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God of all permitted things". Thus, divorce being an evil; it must be eschewed as far as
possible.
There are Quranic forms of Talaq, which are most compatible with gender justice,
medical morality, human honour, and personal parity. Talaq is an Arabic word its literal
meaning is "to release" or "taking off any tie or restraint" or "removal of the restrictions of
Nikah" and in Islamic jurisprudence it signifies the repudiation of marriage or dissolution
of marriage i.e. divorce. There are different modes of Talaq ordained in the Holy Quran.
There are two kinds of Talaq sanctified in the Holy Quran and approved by the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) One Talaq-ul-Sunnat (revocable divorce) having two forms Talaq-i-
Ahsan (Most Proper Divorce) and Talaq-i-Hasan (Proper Divorce). Two is Talaq-ul-
Biddat (Innovative Divorce) which is irrevocable and pronounced thrice in one sitting and
operates with immediate effect and better known as Triple Talaq.
Tripe Talaq is the most disapproved, detestable, and draconian form of dissolution
of Muslim marriage. It was not there during the life time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
It was a post-prophet innovation of Umayyad Oligarchs in second century of the Hijri era
and subsequently approbated by the jurists of Hanafi Law, the most strong and dominant
school of Islamic jurisprudence conspicuous on the canvass of Sunni sect of Muslims
across the world. Triple Talaq is a tryst with tyranny, which is innovatively impregnated
with torture, trauma and tormentation. Triple Talaq is a weapon of victimisation of women
in the hands of Muslim men devoid of any ethics, arbitration, and reconciliation. Triple
Talaq destroys a woman emotionally, socially and economically. Despite the fact, Islam is
the first religion that recognised and legitimised the indivisibility of individuality of a
woman. Her personality and personhood is independent and revendicated by the Islamic
injunctions as ordained in the Holy Quran. She has been endowed with certain inherent
non-derogable human rights. But Triple Talaq symbolises the subordination, subjugation
and suppression of human rights of women, which have already been made available to
them by the Holy Quran. Moreover, Islam treated rights of women as human rights.
Triple Talaq is a recognised form of divorce in the contemporary legal regime in
India or Muslim Law as administered in India. Muslim jurists have perceived it as a novel
innovation in Sharia Law. It was not there in the initial two years of the lifetime of the first
Caliph Abu Bakr and second Caliph Umar, the great. But, subsequently, Triple Talaq was
allowed exclusively in some special circumstances. For example, when Arabs had
conquered Egypt, Iraq and Syria etc, they found that women of these countries were more
beautiful than those of their own wives. Consequently, they decided to marry with them.
But these women of Egypt and Syria insisted upon divorcing their existing wives with
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immediate effect by pronouncing Talaq and therefore in one sitting so that they could
marry with them. Arabs readily accepted this condition because they knew that in Islam
Talaq is pronounced twice between the period of purity (Tuhr) and its repetition at the same
time is against Islam, therefore, it would be void and ineffective. In this way, they not only
could marry with beautiful damsels but also retained their present wives. This nefarious
design was brought to the cognisance of Caliph Umar the great. Upon being informed,
Caliph Umar, the great for preventing the misuse of religion on this point ruled that if
anybody pronouncing Talaq thrice in one sitting would result in irrevocable dissolution of
marriage, although it was an administrative measure to meet an emergency and not to
institutionalise it as permanent law. But, unfortunately, Hanafi jurists declared this
ephemeral arrangement of administrative nature issued by Caliph Umar, the great, as lawful
and divorce thereupon valid under the law.
Consequently, this form of Triple Talaq is continued to enjoy spiritual and temporal
legitimacy at one hand and judicial recognition on the other hand in India. The jalopy of
justice in any democratic dispensation is put on by the highest judicial establishment of the
country and it was made possible in India when Supreme Court held scales even on
ecclesiastical law in the case of Shamim Ara V. State of U.P (2002) that Holy Quran
stipulates Talaq must be pronounced on cogent plausible and reasonable grounds and prior
to thereof spouses must appoint two arbitrators and they should make all efforts for
reconciliation and resolution. Having failed all efforts, Talaq shall come into effect.
Therefore it can be rightly inferred therefrom that the apex court of the land has duly
rejected Triple Tyranny of Triple Talaq.
The Islamic raison d'etre has never been to confer an absolute authority of Talaq
upon a husband to be misused by him by uttering few words, which signify his intention of
divorce. But there should be a subjective element in the intention of husband with regard
to divorce thought it is generally not there. Therefore, Talaq-ul-Sunnat is regarded to be
the divinely approved form of Talaq. It is called as Talaq-ul-Sunnat because it is based
upon the tradition (Sunna) of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Prophet always considered
Talaq as an evil. If at all this was to happen, the best formula was one in which there was
possibility of reconsideration and revocation of the consequences of this evil. Having
cogitated upon, the Prophet recommended only revocable Talaq, whereby the evil
repercussion and ramifications of Talaq do not become final at once Talaq-ul-Sunnat is
founded upon the bejewelled principles of natural law as it do contemplate the possibility
of compromise and reconciliation between conjugal candidates. Only this form of Talaq
was in practice during the life of the Prophet. This mode of Talaq is recognised beyond the
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Shia and Sunna dichotomy. Talaq-ul-Sunnat may be pronounced either in Ahsan or in
Hasan form as engrafted in Holy Quran. In the form of Talaq-ul-Ahsan there is a single
pronouncement of Talaq during the period of purity (Tuhr- a period between two
menstruations) followed by no revocation by husband for three successive period of purity.
After this single pronouncement the wife is to observe an Iddat of three monthly courses
and during Iddat there should be no revocation of Talaq by the husband but during this
period if there is cohabitation, this amount to revocation and reconciliation between
husband and wife. However, Talaq-ul-Hasan is also regarded proper and approved form
of Talaq and has provision of revocation. But the words of Talaq are to be pronounced
three times in the successive periods of purity. It is immensely important to note that the
husband may revoke the first and second pronouncements either expressly or by resuming
conjugal canopy of cohabitation and consummation and same tantamount to as if no Talaq
was made at all. But if third pronouncement in the third period of Tuhr (purity) is made,
Talaq becomes irrevocable and marriage is repudiated and the wife observes Iddat.
It is well-established fact that Talaq-ul-Sunnat is the most appropriate, cogent,
meaningful, plausible and reasonable mode of repudiation of bridal bond sanctified and
warranted by the Holy Quran. Thus, law is the revealed will of Almighty Allah in classical
Islamic theory and a divinely ordained system rather than a science of the positive law
emanating from judicial tribunals. However, the standards of religious law and the
demands of political expediency do not go together and perhaps the arbitrary authority of
the political pontiffs influenced the Muslims Ulema to adopt a discretionary divagation of
ignoring rather than denying, though Islamic jurisprudence is functional jurisprudence
resulting in the Islamic social engineering which has tantalised and galvanised the Sharia
law in Egypt, Iraq, Morocco and Pakistan etc. wherein rigid dictates of traditional law and
the demands of modern society have been reconciled through Islamic legislation and
codification founded upon the Holy Quran and Hadith or Sunnah (Tradition), Ijma
(consensus of juristic opinions), customs and usages and juristic deductions like Qiyas
(analogy), Istihsan (preference), Istidlal (deductions by logic and reason), Ijtihad
(interpretation) and Taqlid (The principle of strict adherence to the law as expounded in the
authoritative legal manuals). And on this basis it would appear that Islamic jurisprudence
could implement and preserve its fundamental and unique ideal of a way of life based on
the command of God (Almighty Allah) in most practical and modernist terms.
But, unfortunately, the recent conglomerate of All-India Muslim Personal Law
Board (AIMPLB) at Kanpur has stultified the entire agenda of reforms contrary to the
expectations of the people of India. But this turned out to be a damp squib. It was
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expected of AIMPLB would take the most important decision of abolition of Triple Talaq
and adopt a model "Nikahnama" (marriage contract) based on equity, justice and gender
parity as ordained in the Holy Quran. But it has adopted a policy of procrastination and
entire Muslim community put on tenterhooks. This regressive and ridiculous practice of
Triple Talaq is nothing but a tryst with tyranny that generated revulsion among the Muslim
masses beyond human control in times to come. Therefore, massy reality must be attended
at the earliest with dexterity and maturity by the AIMPLB. Moreover, AIMPLB has lost an
opportune opportunity of proving its own acceptability and credibility in a democracy
because democracy demands decision with accountability and AIMPLB is accountable to
the Muslims of India. Although, AIMPLB is an organisation without any legal status but it
has been recognised as the body to attend on religious affairs of Muslims who have pinned
down their hopes in the collective wisdom of this body. At the same time, AIMPLB is faced
with primordial perceptions and parochial pursuits of its members. But it wields
considerable weight among the Muslims and has been playing a role since its inception,
which is being appreciated by all and sundry.
Therefore, it would be in the fitness of things that AIMPLB must address the issue
of Triple Talaq, model Nikahnama, family planning, Codification of Muslim personal law
and socio-economic backwardness of Muslims and issues and problems identified by the
Sachchar Committee. The codification of Muslim Personal Law must be done as directed
by the Holy Quran and Hadith to establish the unity, unanimity and ubiquity in legislative,
executive and judicial actions in a secular state like India as enshrined under Articles 25
and 26 of the Constitution of India. The issue of Triple Talaq must be resolved in
conformity with the Islamic jurisprudence wherein ample scope of reform of Muslim law
on this mode of divorce has been provided through ijma and taqlid. Moreover, it should
not be forgotten that Triple Talaq does not find any sanction whatsoever anywhere in the
Holy Quran. In fact, it is a deviation and distortion of the Holy Quran. Once High Court of
Bombay rightly observed, "practice may be good in law" but is "bad in theology". Triple
Talaq should not be the wages of marriage. Triple Talaq is the ransom paid by the wife.
Marriage is most valuable consideration, which provides the limitation of human action in
a civilized society. Aristotle in his "Politics" remarked, "The habit of lightly changing the
laws is an evil …..For the law has no power to command obedience except that of habit,
which can only be given by time, so that a readiness to change from old to new laws
enfeebles the power of the law". So, opinion is of more power than law and laws that do
not have public opinion can never be enforced. Therefore, Islamic scholarship must strive
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to implement the precepts of the divine revelation within the framework of current social
conditions.