Muslim Marriage Laws and Sania Mirza’s Issue April 9, 2010

Speaker: Mobin Ahmed Khan, an expert media personnel in Islamic studies was invited as the speaker for the 113th session of World Around. Mr. Khan, who is associated with Radio broadcasting talked about ‘Muslim Marriage Laws and Sania Mirza’s issue that filled the media news for quite some time.

Issues covered: The session started with a proper background of the subject and explored the status of Islam and Muslim Marriage Act in the Indian Constitution. Explaining about terms like Niqaah, Mehr and Niqaah Nama, he said that these play a vital role in the process and functioning of Islamic marriages. Mehr is protection money given to the bride and can be in any form such as gold, property or cash.

Looking into the root understanding of Islam he stated that marriage is a pure contract and either party is free to leave it. According to Islamic laws the marriage requires consent from both the sides and the presence of at least two witnesses followed by a “vaqil” (advocate). Talking about divorce, he clarified that it is not a one-sided affair and there is three-month duration for its realisation including the presence of a witness. He also talked about the factors deciding the dissolution of marriage along with the process of remarriage in detail. Focusing on a Muslim person marrying a non-Muslim, he explained that the bride or groom belonging to other religion must be converted to Islam, if not such a marriage is considered invalid.

Evaluation: The lecture helped the students to develop a deeper knowledge about the Islamic laws. With Sania-Shoaib marriage controversy around, the session was of special relevance for the students. They came to know about the Do’s and Don’ts of Muslim marriage and a deeper understanding of the Muslim laws and their practical functioning.