| Answer: 1) Wives
have the same rights as the husbands in all affairs except in those in which
the husband as head of the family possesses specific rights. One example of
this is that a husband, being the head of the family unit, has the right to
give divorce to his wife. However, wives cannot divorce their husbands ---
they can seek divorce from them.
As human
beings, both possess the same `human' rights.
2) The
shares of the parents in the Qur’ān are stated thus:
And if the
deceased has children, the parents shall inherit a sixth each, and if he has
no children and only the parents are his heirs then his mother shall receive a
third, and if he has brothers and sisters then the mother's share is the same
one sixth after the payment of any legacies he may have bequethed and after
discharging any debts he may have left behind." (4:11)
The shares
of a husband and wife are stated next:
And to you
belongs a half of what your wives have, if they die childless. And if they
have children, a quarter of what they leave shall be yours after payment of
their debts and any legacies they may have bequethed. Your wives shall inherit
one quarter of what you leave, if you die childless. If you have children they
shall inherit one eighth, after payment of your debts and any legacies you may
have bequethed. (4:12)
It is clear
from the above verses that the share of the wife in some cases is less and in
other cases more than the husband's mother. If the deceased has children, his
mother will receive one-sixth and the wife one-eighth. In this case, the share
of the mother is more than that of the wife. If a deceased does not have
children and also does not have brothers or sisters, his wife will be given
one-fourth of the total inheritance and the mother's share will be one-third
of the remaining amount. In such cases, the share of the wife may sometimes
come out to be more than that of the mother.
3) Secret
marriages are totally forbidden in Islam. One of the essentials of marriage
in Islam is public declaration so that the society knows that a couple has
decided to live as husband and wife. Secret liaisons which caste huge shadows
of doubts on the type of relationship between a man and a woman are strictly
prohibited. |