Prominent Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has called on Islamic judges and scholars to allow Muslim women enduring domestic abuse to divorce their husbands without paying compensation.Speaking at his weekly Tafsir session titled “How Wives in Islam Can Also Divorce Their Cruel Husbands Without Compensation” at Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna, Gumi declared that Islam rejects oppression in marriage and grants both spouses equal rights to end a union devoid of love and respect.Drawing from Al-Mukhtasar Al-Khalil, a key Maliki jurisprudence text, he insisted that justice must prevail in all marital rulings.Gumi decried the disparity in divorce processes, noting that men can dissolve marriages with simple pronouncements, while women seeking escape from abuse or neglect are often required to pay compensation through khul’.“A husband can simply utter words and end a marriage, but when a woman seeks freedom from an abusive man, she is told to pay compensation. That is injustice, and Islam stands against oppression,” he said.Citing Qur’anic verses (Q4:35, Q4:19, and Q4:130), Gumi emphasized that Allah permits separation when harmony is lost and mandates fair treatment for both parties.He condemned the rising tide of domestic violence, criticizing men who insult, humiliate, or beat their wives yet refuse to release them without financial recompense.“When a husband insults, humiliates, or beats his wife, he forfeits the right to demand compensation. It becomes the duty of the judge to dissolve such a marriage immediately. No woman should be trapped in misery,” he declared.Gumi urged Islamic judges (Qadis) to act with courage and fairness to shield women from injustice. He stressed that a healthy marriage rests on kindness, mercy, and mutual respect—and when these are absent, either partner has the right to part ways with dignity.
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