‘Why you need to read my book on marriage dissolution’

What prompted you to write on Islamic marital termination?   Countless Muslim’s marriages were terminated while uncountable others are on the verge of separation. It is horrible and terrible to know that the findings of this book show that the number of marital separations yearly supersedes the number of marriages in Northern Nigeria especially among […]

What prompted you to write on Islamic marital termination?

 

Countless Muslim’s marriages were terminated while uncountable others are on the verge of separation. It is horrible and terrible to know that the findings of this book show that the number of marital separations yearly supersedes the number of marriages in Northern Nigeria especially among the Muslims. In some cases, the number of divorcees and widows nearly equals the number of spinsters (single ladies). This is a bizarre situation that must be looked into. It is against this background that this book emerged.

Why do you think divorce has become the order of the day?

Culture is one of the countless reasons. Marriage should be consummated more as a permanent union between man and woman rather than as a means of satisfying blissful desires. Our culture reduced women to a tool of enjoyment by means of hiring and firing under the pretence of marriage. This culture offers women little respect, dignity and honour in support, is like life without soul or man without head. Woman is too valuable to be treated lightly. Life is incomplete and imperfect without them.

What were the reasons behind this ugly trend?

Most divorces are as a result of one of the eight reasons: lack of maintenance, immorality, irresponsibility, external interference, internal influence, selfish desire, irregularity and ill-treatment.

Can you give us some statistics that we can work with or rather how is the figure like?

As at the time of putting the work together,Adamawa State had a total number of 2,811 marital separations, 622 or 22% out of which were due  to ill-treatment meted to the wives, 488% or 16% out that was due to lack of Maintenance from the side of the husband, 447 or 16% was due to internal influence of either from the parents or relatives of the husband or wife as the case may be, 432 or 15.3% happened purely on selfish desires without justified course.

Taraba state has a total number of 1,701 marital terminations 276 or 16% was due to internal influence, 275 or 16% was as a result of inadequate maintenance, 264 or 15.5% was due to ill-treatment meted to the wives among other factors.

Niger state has a total number of 1,973 marital deaths. 302 or 15.3% was purely based on internal influence from either the parents of the husband and relatives or from the parents of the wives and relatives. 319 or 16.1% was due to selfish desires from the husbands without tangible causes. 277 or 14% was based on lack of maintenance from the husbands, while 269 or 13.6% was due to external interferences. 251 or 12.7% was based on immorality on the side of the wives etc.

Nasarawa state has a total number of 987 cases of marital separations, 213 (21.5%) out of that were purely based on the ill-treatment  meted to the wives by the husbands. 191 (19.3%) was due to lack of maintenance , 133 (13.4%) was due  to immorality from the wives side. 108 (11%) happened due to external interferences, while 98 (10%) was based on irresponsibility from the husbands, 88 (10%) was as a  result of internal influences from either the husband’s family or wives families as the case may be and 59 (6%)  were terminated based on irregularity of the marital union.

Kaduna state has a total number of 3,090 cases of marital collapses, out of which 871 (28.1%) were due to ill-treatment meted to the wives by their husbands, 525 (17%) were based on selfish desires from the husbands.

Kano state has a total number of 12,657 marital separations, 2070 (16.3%) out of the total were based on selfish desires from the husbands without justifiable causes. 2,007 (15.8%) were due to lack of maintenance from the husbands, 1,622 (12.8%) were purely on external interference, while  1,557 (12.3%) happened as a result of immorality from the wives and 1,553 (12.2%) were dissolved purely based on ill-treatment   meted to the wives by their husbands. 1,433 (11.3%) were due to the irresponsibility of the husbands, 1,354 (10.6%) took place due to internal influences from either the husband’s family or the wives’ families as the case may be, and 1,083 (8.5%) were dissolved based on irregularity of the marital contract.

Kano State seems to have had the highest number of divorcees, how do you explain that?

Yes, Kano state has the highest number of marital separations in the research with a total number of 12,657 cases and this might be connected with the population involved, Kano State being the most populous state in the North.

Some criticized the Kano state Government’s attempt to remarry the divorcees in mass weddings as politically motivated, what are you going to say to that?

It is a stipulated and prescribed legal verdict in Islam; before you utter any statement you must have concrete reasons, tangible proofs, and irresistible evidences amongst others. I do not have the ability to access the honest intention of Kano State Government.

Then what is your verdict?

Personally, I think it is a good attempt by Kano State Government worthy of emulation by other states.

There are those who argue that it is not even Islamic to do so?

Let them support their argument with facts, if they cannot substantiate their claims with solid facts, then their assertions are just mere unfounded accusations.

Are you saying it is Islamic?

Yes, I m saying so.

Why and how?

In sharia, everything is lawful except where it is authoritatively declared otherwise. In addition, there are countless Istidilal, Istikhraj, Istinbat and Qarinah to this effect…

What is your call to husbands, wives and the youths who are about to get married?

To my sisters, they must be highly selective and choosy when it comes to the issue of marriage. Let them understand marriage as Ibadat (an act of worship) rather than business. These days women marry men who belong to class A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H  such marriages hardly last because the entire exercise is only for worldly gains…

To my brothers, they should choose wives based on virtues and intrinsic worth rather than purely on beauty and status.