Divorce: Its History, Legislation and Modern Reality

This book deals with a difficult but highly important topic. Divorce is more common today than at any previous time in recorded history. Muslims being no exception, there is a manifest need for a book that provides a clear exposition and practical guidance. The author, Samir Elatar, is a trained expert on the legal aspects of marriage who has advised hundreds of Muslim couples. In this book he first examines attitudes to and the practice of divorce in other religions, ancient and modern, before setting out the basic principles of Islamic law on the subject.

Next, the problems that can lead to divorce are discussed, together with the Islamic methods of remedying them – or, preferably preventing them. The author compares Islamic divorce procedures with those of other faiths and concludes that the Shari’ah is superior to all other systems of legislation. As he amply demonstrates, the methods for divorce in Islamic law are designed to protect the rights and welfare not only of the two individuals, but of the entire family and, indeed, the whole of society.