Zihar in Permanent Marriage

:Sachiko Murata

2012/03/08

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Adopted from the Book : "Temporary Marriage in Islamic Laws" by : "Sachiko Murata"

VI. Zihar

In pre-Islamic times the Arabs practiced a form of divorce which amounted to the husband's reciting the formula, 'You are to me as my mother's back (zahr)', a practice referred to as zihar. Although Islam forbids zihar (cf. Qur'an 33:4, 58:2), if a man should recite this formula to his wife--or an equivalent formula, by substituting a reference to any other female forbidden to him-sexual intercourse with his wife is forbidden to him. Zihar's conditions are the same as those of divorce; hence in Shi'ism two witnesses must hear the formula recited.

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Women Islamic laws