• Hibah as a Door to an Efficient Wealth Management in Islam

    HIBAH AS A DOOR TO AN EFFICIENT WEALTH MANAGEMENT IN ISLAM

    HIBAH – The demise of a Malaysian comedian named Abam Bocey earlier this year, had stolen nation’s attention and became the talk of many when his funeral prayer was attended by hundreds of people, as reported by The Star on 10th February 2020. Despite his passing, positive stories about this humourist did not stop to fill the air and could easily be read and traced on Twitter with the hashtag #KitaBaikRamaiSayang, as reported in Sinar Harian. Amidst the positivity that people could draw from his death which was in fact described by the Mufti of the Federal Territory on his official page, as a sign of husnul khatimah, a controversy involving the estate that he left began to emerge when it was reported on various news media regarding an alleged dissension between his younger brother and widow, over the late comedian’s properties.

     

    Picking quarrels or even ending up in scuffles when it comes to claiming the estate of a deceased is not a novel issue as such occurrence has always made an appearance on news portals. Last year around early February, the issue of the mother of the late former MP of Rompin, Tan Sri Dr. Jamaludin Jarjis, who took legal action against her grandchildren involving her late son’s properties which were said to be worth more than a billion of ringgit, had made headlines on various main stream online news portals such as BH Online and Bernama. Dissatisfactions over the allotment of inheritance had also resulted in some family members being hostile to each other, which could even go to the extent of physical attacks. On 29th of August 2019, BH Online reported that a man was punched by his elder brother, due to the latter being dissatisfied with the way the estate was being managed.

     

    The bitter truth is that there are still estates worth RM 70 billion which were left unclaimed in Malaysia ever since our country gained its independence, as reported on MyMetro dated 12th January 2020. Poor awareness with regards to the significance of estate management either by the property’s owner or even the heirs upon the proprietor’s death was said to be one of the contributing factors of this predicament. The principles of circulation of wealth and justice in wealth distribution which formed the basis of the faraidh system, according to Mohd Kamarul Khaidzir bin Saadan and Mohamad Sabri bin Haron (in their article entitled “Teori Maslahah Dalam Sistem Pewarisan Harta Orang Islam”), cannot materialise if the management of the estate left by the deceased is in a state of limbo. Hence, in this article we will explore about hibah as an alternative means to an efficient wealth management in Islam without negating the wisdom and beauty of the legislation of faraidh.

     

    DEFINITIONS & CONCEPT OF HIBAH

    Bank Negara defines hibah as “a transfer of ownership of an asset from a donor (wahib) to a recipient (mawhub lahu) without any consideration”. In a paper presented by Mohd Zamro Muda from the Syari’a Department of Faculty of Islamic Studies in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia entitled “Instruments of Hibah and Wills: Analysis of the Regulations and Applications in Malaysia”, hibah is defined as a form of contract (‘akad) in which an ownership of a property is conferred from one person to another, during the lifetime of the former, without getting remuneration (‘iwad) in return. In simpler terms, hibah can be understood as something which is given voluntarily. Among the key features which characterise a hibah contract, as listed in the above-cited article, are:

    • There must be a specific person of whom the hibah is entitled to
    • Debt or benefits/interests are not the subject matter of hibah but the subject matter of hibah must be in a physical (‘ain) form
    • Hibah is a contract which is made without entailing consideration from the receiving end
    • A hibah contract is effective during the lifetime of the wahib 
    • It is a contract which should be made voluntarily by the hibah provider without any form of coercion nor duress by any party 
    • A hibah is made without the wahib having an expectation to receive reward in return from the mawhub lahu

     

    LEGALITY OF HIBAH

    In Surah Aali ‘Imraan, verse 92, Allah swt says:

    Never will you attain the good [reward] until you spend [in the way of Allah] from that which you love. And whatever you spend – indeed, Allah is Knowing of it

    (Translation by Sahih International)

     

    Whereas, in describing righteousness, Allah swt, in verse 177 of Surah Al-Baqarah, says to the effect:

    “…but [true] righteousness is [in] one who… gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves…

    (Translation by Sahih International)

     

    Verses in the Qur’an which carry the theme of giving in charity are aplenty, and the above two verses are among them which encourage Muslims to embody the act of voluntary giving the things that we love as a sign of righteousness and piety, which includes the act of making hibah.

     

    Besides, in the Sahih Muslim there is a title dedicated on kitab al-hibah which lays down various hadeeth on hibah. One of the hadeeths is as reported by Zaid b. Aslam:

    “…that ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) donated a horse in the path of Allah. He found that it had languished in the hand of its possessor, and he was a man of meagre resource.  He (Hadrat ‘Umar) intended to buy it. He came to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) and made a mention of that to him, whereupon he said: Don’t buy that even if you get it for a dirham for he who gets back the charity is like a dog which swallows its vomit.

    (Translation of Sahih Muslim, Book 12. Refer: http://www.iium.edu.my/deed/hadith/muslim/012_smt.html) 

     

    The act of making hibah can also be traced its legality based on the renowned hadeeth which was reported by Abu Hurairah, where Rasululullah s.a.w. said:

    “Give each other gifts and you will love each other.” (Source: al-Adab al-Mufrad 594. Refer: https://abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2012/11/24/give-gifts-love-one-another/) 

     

    Based on the first mentioned hadeeth, it can be observed that the act of voluntary giving was practised back in the days of the sahabah. And in fact it is something that is encouraged as seen in the second hadeeth, from which it is hoped to blossom the feeling of love between the donor and the recipient. From the above sacred authorities from the Qur’an and Sunnah, we can observe that hibah is acknowledged and recognised in Islam. Hence, in the ensuing paragraphs we will explore how hibah can benefit our ummah in managing the Muslims’ wealth in an efficient manner.

     

    ADVANTAGES OF HIBAH

    Firstly, a donor can grant hibah to anyone he desires during his lifetime. As we all know, the system of faraidh governed the apportionment of the deceased’s properties to his or her heirs and there is a fixed portion to the one who deserved his or her share. On the other hand, the heirs of the deceased are to be excluded from the will of the deceased except if the other heirs do not object to such apportionment. As the Principles of Muhammadan Jurisprudence by Abdur Rahim put it: “A further reason why a bequest in favour of an heir is not allowed is that it would amount to giving preference to some heirs over others, thus defeating the spirit of the law which has fixed the portion of each in the inheritance and causing disputes among persons related to one another. If the other heirs consent to a bequest to one of them or to a bequest of more than one-third of the estate, the above reasons no longer hold good and the bequest as made will be valid”. This shows that the general rule is that the heirs of the deceased no longer have their share from the wasiyyah of the deceased as their shares are allotted through the system of faraidh. This is further supported by a hadeeth which is narrated by At-Tirmidhi as can be found on page 49 of Asbabu Ikhtilaf Al-Fuqaha’ written by Al-Sheikh ‘Ali Al-Khafeef:

    “إن الله قد أعطى كل ذي حق حقه، فلا وصية لوارث”

     

    Hence, unlike faraidh and wasiyyah, a person can grant hibah to anyone he desires during his lifetime. This is further supported by section 2 of the Administration of Syariah Court of Kelantan Enactment 1982, which defines “alang hayat” or “hibah” in Malay as, “pemberian percuma atau pindah milek harta oleh seseorang dalam masa hayat kepada sesiapa yang dia kehendaki”. The phrase “…kepada sesiapa yang dia kehendaki” shows that the giving of hibah is unconditional and can be made simply to anyone. This shows the flexibility of hibah as a means of wealth management in Islam.

     

    • Hibah to heirs

    In the case of Re Abdul Rahman bin Hj Ahmad & Ors [2013] 1 SHLR 51, the Court had affirmed the validity of the contract of hibah that was made by the applicant which is the father of the recipients as the Court was satisfied that all of the conditions of a valid hibah were fulfilled which are: Firstly, the parties of the hibah contract which consist of the hibah donor (wahib) and the recipient of hibah (mauhub lahu), secondly, the contract of hibah which consist of ijab and qabul, of which the learned Judge explained that the sighah (ijab and qabul) must be continuous, unconditional and untampered with. Thirdly, the subject matter of the hibah (al-mauhub) must be in existence at the time of hibah, it must be valuable and owned by the hibah donor as explained by the Judge in the above-cited case. Thus, from this case, we can observe that hibah can be given in a parent-child relationship, as long as all of the conditions of a valid hibah are satisfied.

    On the other hand, hibah between husband and wife can also take place, as in the case of Wan Khairani bt Wan Mahmood v Ismail bin Mohamad [2011] 3 SHLR 12. Whereby in this case, the learned Judge had differentiated between harta sepencarian and hibah, where harta sepencarian is defined as a property jointly acquired by a husband and wife during the subsistence of marriage which can be enforced when the conditions stipulated by Hukum Syara’ are fulfilled. Meanwhile, hibah is a contract where the donor of hibah (wahib) grants his property to the recipient without remuneration (‘iwadh). In this case, the Court decided that the disputed ownership of property was a hibah property instead of harta sepencarian, and the conditions of hibah were fulfilled. Thus, the hibah of the property by the husband to the wife was validly concluded and cannot be retracted by the husband.

     

    • Hibah to non-heirs

    Further, the flexibility of hibah can also be seen by the fact that hibah can be given to non-heirs since faraidh does not allot any portion to this category of people. Making hibah especially if we have adopted children would be a wise way in managing our wealth as no matter how much we love and care our adopted children and no matter how long they have been staying with us, the fact stays that adopted children cannot inherit our estate by way of faraidh. Thus, making a hibah would be a smarter way for people who desire to apportion some of their wealth or properties to their beloved adopted children, as well as to ensure their wellbeing and welfare are taken care of upon the former’s death. A few decided cases have illustrated the validity of hibah to an adopted child. In the case of Salmiah Che Hat lwn Zakaria Hashim [2001] JH 14 (1) 79, the legal issue that arose was whether a plot of land which was given by the adoptive father (uncle) of the Plaintiff to the Plaintiff was considered as hibah or otherwise. In this case, the Plaintiff’s adoptive father is the uncle of both the Plaintiff and the Defendant, who are cousins turned husband and wife. The Plaintiff’s adoptive father gave a plot of land to the Defendant, when the Plaintiff and the Defendant were in the subsistence of marriage. The adoptive father had retracted the land upon the couple’s divorce, and subsequently, the adoptive father had given the plot of land to the Plaintiff. The Plaintiff had applied to the Court to declare the plot of land as a subject matter of hibah. The Court in this case had declared that the conferment of the plot of land was a form of hibah that was given by the adoptive father to the Plaintiff and decided that it fulfilled the conditions of a valid hibah.

     

    To illustrate the conferment of hibah to non-heirs, an article entitled “Pengurusan Harta Melalui Hibah: Kepentingan Dan Manfaat Dari Pelbagai Aspek Untuk Kemajuan Ummah” written by Rusnadewi Abdul Rashid and Nor Hisyam Ahmad, had mentioned the often-cited case of Poolimahee Rajeswary @ Fatimah Binti Baba lwn Meah Binti Hussain [JH XIX/I BHG 1 hlm. 165]. In this case, the Defendant’s husband had, during his lifetime, gifted the Plaintiff, who was his adopted child, a plot of land on which laid a house. Despite the fact that the transfer of ownership did not take place during the lifetime of the hibah donor, the Court decided that the hibah was valid and fulfilled the conditions of a valid hibah. Other cases on hibah to adopted children that can be referred to are, inter alia, Norizah Bt Mansor [JH XIX/I BHG 1, Feb 2005] and Nang Lijah Bte Megat Stan [Kanun, vol.8.1996, hlm. 169].

     

    Secondly, the apportionment of hibah is unlimited in nature. Unlike faraidh, of which the share to each recipient is fixed and being regulated by the Holy Qur’an, and wasiyyah which generally can be made limited to 1/3 of the net estate of the deceased, the apportionment of hibah is unlimited and not restricted to any particular amount. According to the writers of the article entitled “Comparison between Will and Gift as An Estate Planning Instrument in Islam”, this is due to the fact that hibah is regarded as a gift by the donor of the hibah (wahib) during his lifetime and it is not included in the estate of the donor upon his death. To illustrate this point, the above-mentioned article had cited two cases. Firstly, the case of Jumaaton dan Raja Delila lwn Raja Hizaruddin [JH Dis 1998 Jld XII Bhg II hlm. 201] in which the son was given an amount of 11,095,666 shares from a total of 12,560,313 unit of shares by his father was considered by the Court as a valid hibah, despite the fact that the son would not be getting as much according to the law of faraidh. Meanwhile, in the case of Wan Mahmud bin Wan Abdul Rahman & 3 yang lain lwn Aminah binti Hj. Taib & 2 yang lain [JH XVIII/II Bhg II Dis 2004 hlm. 331], the husband had gifted his wife half of his properties by way of hibah, which clearly supports the notion that the apportionment of hibah is unlimited in nature. This marks yet another advantage of hibah as a means in managing wealth.

     

    Thirdly, hibah acts as an alternative when managing wealth through faraidh comes to a dead end. According to Siti Noor Farahin M. Fariddudini & Muhammad Adib Samsudin, the writers of “Comparison between Will and Gift as an Estate Planning Instrument in Islam”, managing wealth through hibah is simpler and faster as the gift or the conferment of property is made during the lifetime of the donor. It does not have to go through the process of faraidh which can be tedious especially so when the heirs are not well-educated on the way the estate should be managed through the faraidh system. The writers which cited “Harta Amanah Orang Islam Di Malaysia: Perspektif Undang-Undang Dan Pentadbiran”, written by Siti Mashitoh Mahamood, stated that with the existence of a hibah document, the subject matter of hibah can be benefited from and acquired by the hibah recipient much prompter.

     

    Besides, hibah would be a better choice as the execution process is made simpler, compared to the wealth management through wasiyyah which requires the will to be read before all the legal heirs upon the death of the maker of the will and which needs to go through the process of inheritance, either having to go through the High Court, Land Office, or Amanah Raya Berhad. This process can take months for the execution to take place, as per highlighted in the article entitled “Comparison between Will and Gift as an Estate Planning Instrument in Islam”.

     

    Fourthly, the conferment of hibah can be tailored according to the economic needs of the recipient. Based on the article entitled “Pengurusan Harta Melalui Hibah: Kepentingan dan Manfaat dari Pelbagai Aspek untuk Kemajuan Ummah”, the apportionment of hibah can be customised to suit the needs of the recipients, taking into consideration the economic needs of the recipients and the needs of the legal heirs as their economic needs vary. The flexible nature of hibah confers upon the hibah donor (for instance, a father), the right to grant a larger portion of hibah to his daughters probably due to the greater financial burden that the daughters have to bear, compared to his sons who might be more financially sound, without negating the sons’ right to the father’s estate based on the law of faraidh. The article had cited the case of Muhammad Awang & yang lain lwn Awang Deraman & yang lain [2004] CLJ (Sya) 139, whereby the deceased had, in his lifetime, gifted two plots of land that he owned to the Second and the Third Respondents (his children). Upon the deceased’s death, the claimants who were the other children of the deceased had questioned the validity of the hibah, inter alia, on the ground of injustice, due to the disproportionality of the apportionment of properties. The Court of Appeal had decided that irrespective of the apportionment of properties which might seem unjust, the hibah was nevertheless regarded as a valid hibah. And the deceased might have his very own reasons to divide the properties as such.

     

    Last but not least, a divorce between a husband and wife does not affect the conferment of hibah. According to the writers of “Pengurusan Harta Melalui Hibah: Kepentingan Dan Manfaat Dari Pelbagai Aspek Untuk Kemajuan Ummah” which referred to the work of Mohd Zamro Muda & Mohd Ridzuan Awang entitled “Undang-undang pusaka Islam: Pelaksanaannya di Malaysia”, if a husband divorced his wife by way of ba’in (such as triple talaq, khulu’or fasakh), either in a fit and healthy state or in time of sickness which led to his death, the husband and wife cannot inherit each other, should one of them pass away (even if the wife is in a state of ‘iddah). This is based on the view of ‘ulama’. According to the writers, this is due to the fact that the marriage tie is deemed broken and disrupted at that particular instance. Thus, one of the grounds of inheritance i.e. marriage no longer stands. Therefore, both the husband and wife can no longer inherit each other.

     

    On the other hand, hibah is not affected in any way, should a divorce take place between a husband and wife. The wisdom behind this permissibility, as highlighted by the writers, could be to protect the welfare or interest of either party in the receiving end. For instance, the former husband or wife who is more financially capable is permitted to make a hibah to the other who is more financially in need, probably as a form of appreciation for the latter’s contribution throughout the period of marriage.

     

    CONCLUSION

    This article clearly shows the various advantages that a hibah could offer as a means of wealth management in Islam. It is very important to note that each and every legislation has its maqsad or objective to be achieved, and this include the legislations of faraidh and wasiyyah. Nevertheless, considering the flexibilities of hibah, and seeing the problems with the administration of wealth through the faraidh and wasiyyah systems could result in, hibah would be a great option due to the various advantages listed in the foregoing paragraphs. It is high time to educate and create awareness among the people to practise hibah in managing their wealth, with hope that it could minimise the number of unclaimed estate which should have been utilised for the benefits of the ummah.

  • interim and ex-parte hadhanah

    INTERIM & EX-PARTE HADHANAH

    Threatening to bring the child outside the country or attempting to keep the child away from the other parent is a common episode in a right over custody “battle”, especially when it comes to mixed marriages. It is rather obvious that in a situation like this, both parents are not in good terms and it would be difficult (if not impossible) for both parents to negotiate the matter in an amicable manner. It would also not be fair and practical for the innocent party to wait for the actual hadhanah trial to be disposed of. The law anticipates such circumstance to occur and thus, the law provides an avenue for the innocent party to make an interim hadhanah application (temporary application) by way of ex-parte (application made by one party). Therefore, in this article we will explore further about interim and ex-parte application specifically concerning hadhanah or child custody.

     

     

    DISCUSSIONS

    In an interim hadhanah application of Siti Zubaidah Chew bt Abdullah @ Chew Yin Yin cited as [2010] JH 29/1, the honourable Court explained about ex-parte application and interim hadhanah rather explicitly. The Syariah High Court in that case had quoted an oft-cited hadeeth pertaining to one of the Judge’s roles in Islam which is to be impartial by opportuning both parties to present their case before the Judge comes to a decision. The hadeeth which was narrated by Abu Dawood stated that Saidina Ali said to the Prophet, to the effect:

    Ya Rasulullah, you have sent me to Yemen as a Qadi whilst I am still young and I have no knowledge concerning adjudication. Rasulullah said: Verily Allah will grant His guidance (hidayah) to your heart and will keep your tongue true. If there come to you two people who are quarrelling in front of you, do not pass judgment until you have heard the second party just as you have heard the first party, for it is best for you to have a clear idea before passing a judgment

    The above highlights the importance to decide a case inter partes (between the parties), which means a case must be decided in the presence and upon considering the arguments of both parties. However, the Court in the above case underlines that there are instances that the hukum syarak allows a case to be heard ex-parte based on the principle of dharurah (state of urgency) and this makes up the exception to the general rule. Whereas, Imam Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman in his kitab Ashbah wa al-Nazair fi Qawaid al-Fiqhiyyah stated that الضرر يزال (“injury must be removed”). Thus, the Court opined that in times of difficulty (masyaqqah), in order to alleviate and eliminate the “injury”, the general rule of deciding a case by way of inter parte can be dispensed with, resulting an ex-parte proceeding to be held permissible (harus).

     

     

    INTERIM HADHANAH

    Apart from hukum syarak, the Court had also referred to the provisions in the statute concerning interim and ex-parte orders. Section 201 of the Syariah Court Civil Procedure (Federal Territories) Act 1998 which is in pari materia with the one in the Negeri Sembilan Enactment as evidenced in the above-cited case, states:

     

    (1) Subject to the Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) Act 1984 [Act 303], if the Court is satisfied, on the application of any party for the hadhanah of a child in any cause or matter, that the circumstances require an interim order to be made for the hadhanah of that child, the Court may make such order which shall have immediate effect and shall continue to be in force until the Court has made a decision on the cause or matter. 

    (2) An application under this section shall not be made before the action has begun except in a case of urgency which in the interest of justice or for the protection of the applicant or the child it appears that the immediate intervention of the Court is necessary.

     

    In elaborating the above provision, the Court stated that based on subsection (1) to the above section, an interim order may be granted by the Court should the circumstances necessitate for an interim hadhanah order to be made, to the satisfaction of the Court, and such interim order would be enforceable immediately until the Court makes a permanent order concerning the matter.

    In a more recent decided case of Nurul Wahida bt Mohd Nor v Shamsul Anwar bin Mohd Radzi [2017] 1 SHLR 32, the learned Shariah High Court Judge had went further in elaborating on the operation of section 201(1). The learned Judge stated that the phrase “on the application of any party for the hadhanah of a child in any cause or matter” means that before an application for an interim order can be made under the section, the parent hadhanah case needs to be filed first. This is because, the order under the section will only be enforceable until the Court decides on the cause or the matter. And the phrase “on the cause or matter” is definitely referring to a recurring hadhanah case, i.e. the parent case. However, as subsection (2) explicitly states, in a case of urgency, even if the parent case is yet to be filed, an application for interim order as to hadhanah can still be made. However, by practice, the parent case needs to be filed within fourteen (14) days from the date of the application.

    From the above, it can be understood that an interim hadhanah application in simple terms means an application for a temporary child custody order, pending the full disposal of the case. 

     

     

    EX-PARTE HADHANAH

    In respect of interim order by way of ex-parte, subsection (3) of section 201 provides:

    (3) Where the applicant is the plaintiff and the case is one of urgency, such application may be made ex parte and shall be supported by an affidavit and that affidavit shall contain a clear and concise statement-

    (a) of the facts giving rise to the claims against the defendant in the proceedings;
    (b) of the facts giving rise to the claim for an interim order;
    (c) of the fact relied on as justifying the application being made ex parte;

    (d) of any facts known to the applicant which might lead the Court not to grant an interim order;
    (e) of whether any previous similar ex parte application has been made to any other Judge and, if so, the order made in that previous application; and
    (f) of the precise relief sought.

     

    In the case of Siti Zubaidah Chew bt Abdullah (supra), the Court held that the above subsection connotes that an application for an interim order may be made by way of ex-parte which must be supported with an affidavit. And as the subsection clearly states, there must be a state of urgency which warrants for a proceeding by way of ex-parte to be conducted. Practice Direction No. 5 of 2016 which was published by the Department of Syariah Judiciary Malaysia (JKSM) has laid down guidelines on ex-parte hadhanah proceeding. The guidelines provide for the following:

     

    • Filing of application

    – If the parent case has been filed, only the Plaintiff has the right to apply for interim application by way of ex-parte. However, an inter parte application may be filed by both parties.

    – The document(s) for the filing of the ex-parte application is/are per required by the Syariah Court Civil Procedure Act, together with an immediate declaration (perakuan segera), draft ex-parte order as in Form 1 of the Practice Direction.

    – The affidavit to support the application must also contain an undertaking of the applicant to pay damages to the respondent for any injury sustained, should the ex-parte application is later found out by the Court, not to be conferred.

    • Factors to be considered by the Court

    – An ex-parte order as to hadhanah may be conferred by the Court if it serves to stop and avoid harm upon the child in respect of his religion, life, body, property, intellect and/or welfare

      An ex-parte hadhanah order may be granted upon the satisfaction of the applicant to prove his case up to the standard of zann al-ghalib, which means the evidence must be based on conjecture (zann) which is close to certainty (yaqeen).

     

    There are several cases which illustrate “the state of urgency” that necessitates for an ex-parte order to be made, to the satisfaction of the Court. One of them is the case of Badrul Hisham Mohd Ramli v Hayati Nazir (2008) JH 25/1, 55, whereby the Court held that “Among the reason for the special urgency is the child was taken out of the country or took away out of the country. And that must have reasons and for example there is strong evidence that an airplane ticket was already booked, the airplane ticket can be a reason. Likewise, if there is evidence and reason that these children were converted to another religion from Islam to another religion…

    To sum up, it can be understood that an ex-parte application or application by a single party can be made in circumstances of urgency, and that includes an ex-parte application for hadhanah as discussed above. There is definitely no hard and fast rule on what amounts to a “state of urgency”. It is thus for the Court to decide justly based on the facts and circumstances of each case.  

     

     

    CONCLUSION

    In conclusion, the issue of child custody is best settled amicably between both husband and wife. However, it cannot be denied that at times things are not as easy nor as pleasant as we wished them to be. Hence why, it is important for both husband and wife to have legal awareness on the legal recourse that may be opted for in a situation which necessitates for an interim hadhanah application to be made by way of ex-parte.

    It is also important to note that although there should be no appeal against an interim order as stated in section 198 of the Syariah Court Civil Procedure (Federal Territories) Act 1998, however, by virtue of section 194 of the Act, an order made ex-parte may be set aside. Therefore, it is important to seek for legal advice and to seek for legal assistance to know how to deal your case efficiently either by seeking for a legal aid or to engage a professional lawyer.

  • NAFAQAH - THE RIGHT OF A WIFE, THE DARAR OF ITS NON-CONFERMENT, A GROUND FOR MARRIAGE DISSOLUTION & THE IMPLICATION ON A WORKING WIFE

    NAFAQAH: THE RIGHT OF A WIFE, THE DARAR OF ITS NON-CONFERMENT, A GROUND FOR MARRIAGE DISSOLUTION & THE IMPLICATION ON A WORKING WIFE

    NAFAQAH: As we have discussed in the previous two makalah, a valid marital tie brings about duties and obligations, alongside rights. One of the obligations imposed by our religion upon a husband to confer to his wife is the duty to provide nafaqah or maintenance. The guarantee to provide comfort and luxury, as convincingly promulgated when love was in full bloom, becomes an unfulfilled promise as marriage turns sour and bitter over time. This obligatory duty to provide maintenance to the wife by a husband is prone to be neglected by the latter, especially when cracking signs start to make themselves apparent in one’s marriage.

     

    In the Malaysian Muslim Family Law, the failure or neglect on the part of a husband to provide maintenance for his wife for a period of three months is one of the grounds for a dissolution of marriage via fasakh as explicitly spelled out under section 52(1)(b) of the Islamic Family Law (Federal Territory) Act 1984 (hereinafter referred to as “IFLA”). Thus, some husbands who might have thought that they are exclusively honoured with a veto power to pronounce divorce, should take heed that wives are entitled to seek for divorce via fasakh if the husbands have failed to discharge their duty to provide nafaqah. Likewise, wives should have the awareness and consciousness of what they are rightfully and legally entitled and to take prompt action(s) in enforcing their due rights whenever necessary.

     

    In this present makalah, we will soon know that the duty to provide maintenance for the wife by a husband is not merely customarily practised and acknowledged in our country. It is in fact, recognised and spelled out in the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet s.a.w., and unanimously agreed by the fuqaha’. We will also explore how its non-fulfilment will eventually lead to darar or harm to the wife, which might entitle her to seek for a judicial dissolution of marriage. Lastly, we will discover whether the state of working or getting employed has implication(s) on a wife to receive maintenance from her husband.

     

    DEFINITIONS AND LEGAL BASIS

     

    DEFINITIONS

    Before we delve further into the article, it would be necessary to have a clear understanding on the definition of nafaqah or maintenance in the Islamic context as provided by the Muslim scholars.

     

    In an article entitled “Muslim Wife’s Rights to Maintenance: Husband’s Duty to Maintain a Working Wife in Islamic Law and the Law in Malaysia”, co-authored by Azizah Mohd and Badruddin Hj Ibrahim from International Islamic University Malaysia, the definition of maintenance (nafaqah) is provided. The word nafaqah is derived from the Arabic root word infaq which means “to spend for a good purpose”. And it literally means “what a person spends for his family members”, as stated in Radd al-Mukhtar ‘ala al-Dur al-Mukhtar al-Ma’ruf bi Hashiyat Ibn ‘Abidin, as cited in the aforementioned article.

     

    Various definitions of maintenance are given by the Muslim jurists. According to a book entitled al-Bahr al-Ra’iq Sharh Kanz al-Daqa’iq, the Hanafi jurists regard nafaqah to connote “food, clothing and accommodation”. The Hanbali jurists provide a similar definition by stating that nafaqah is “what is sufficient for maintaining a family with food, clothing and accommodation and their supplements”, as written in Kashshaf al-Qina’, Volume 5, pages 459-460. Meanwhile, the jurists from our madzhab i.e. the Shafi’ie jurists have widen the scope of nafaqah by including “whatever is eaten as food (al-‘adam), clothing, cleaning tools, house appliances like cooking equipment, accommodation and servant in the case where the wife has ever used the service of a servant before her marriage “, as per stated in Mughni al-Muhtaj. All these definitions can be found cited in the above article.

     

    Based on the definitions provided above, we can now understand that maintenance or nafaqah generally constitutes basic necessities in our daily life. What is interesting to note in the article is that, there are contemporary Muslim scholars such as Zaki al-Din Sha’ban (See: Ahkam al-Syar’iyyah li Ahwal al-Syakhsiyyah) and Muhammad Mustafa Shalabi (See: Ahkam al-Usrah fi al-Islam) who include “necessary service” which is recognised by the custom of a particular society to constitute nafaqah or maintenance. Thus, according to the authors of the article, in taking into account the view of the aforementioned contemporary Muslim jurists, applying in the Malaysian context, “medical expenses and other basic needs of a family” would fall under the umbrella of nafaqah.

     

    To provide an exhaustive list of what amounts to maintenance would not be possible and might differ from one household to another. It is for the husband as the breadwinner of the family to take cognizance of the basic necessities of his very own family and to duly provide such maintenance, as commanded by the deen.

     

    LEGAL BASIS

    The authorities on the obligation upon a husband to provide nafaqah or maintenance to his wife are aplenty. In this article, we will explore on the authorities contained in the Qur’an and hadeeth as cited by the co-authors of the above referred article.

     

    Qur’an:

    In Surah At-Talaq, verse 7, Allah says to the effect:

    Let the rich man spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him. Allah will grant after hardship, ease.

    (Translation by Muhsin Khan. See: https://quran.com/65/7 )

     

    Meanwhile, in Surah An-Nisaa’ verse 34, Allah says:

    Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means.

    (Translation by Muhsin Khan. See: https://quran.com/4/34 )

     

    According to the writers of the above cited article, the Quranic verses laid down above, signify the duty of a husband to provide maintenance for his wife according to his financial standing. Although a husband is not to be burdened to provide his wife more than what he can bear, providing maintenance remains a husband’s obligation and responsibility.

     

    There are also narrations contained in the hadeeth of the Prophet which highlight the duty of a husband to provide maintenance. One of the oft-quoted hadeeth pertaining to maintenance is the hadeeth pertaining to Hindun binti ‘Utbah, i.e. the wife of Abu Sufyan. In the Sahih Al-Bukhari, as translated by Muhsin Khan, Chapter al-Nafaqah, Vol VII, 6th Edition, page 212, it is narrated by ‘A’isyah that Abu Sufyan’s wife said:

    O Rasulullah, Abu Sufyan is a miser and does not give me what is sufficient for me and my children, can I take his property without his knowledge?” Rasulullah (saw) said, “Take what is sufficient for you and your children, and the amount should be just and reasonable

     

    In interpreting the hadeeth, in al-Zuhayli, Volume 7, page 787, as cited in the above-referred article, it is explained that a husband is obligated to provide maintenance for his wife. Thus, it is permitted for a wife to take what is sufficient for her from his husband’s possessions, but, in a manner that is good (emphasis needed).

     

    Further, we can also find legal support pertaining to a husband’s duty to maintain his wife based on the unanimous stance of fuqaha’ (ijma’). As contained in Islamic Family Law in Malaysia; a book co-authored by Najibah Mohd Zin and 7 other lecturers from IIUM, at page 89, unless his wife is nusyuz or being disobedient to him, a husband is under an obligatory duty to provide maintenance to his wife.

     

    Besides, despite providing a general connotation, the duty of a husband to provide maintenance for his wife is also prescribed under section 59(1) of the IFLA, whereby it states that:

    The Court may, subject to Hukum Syara’, order a man to pay maintenance to his wife or former wife

     

    According to the writers of the Islamic Family Law in Malaysia, this provision entitles a wife to receive maintenance during a valid subsisting marriage. Whereas, the term “former wife” would entitle a former wife to receive her right of maintenance after divorce, during the period of ‘iddah.

     

    THE DARAR OF THE NON-CONFERMENT OF MAINTENANCE

    In an article entitled Darar or Harm for Failure to Maintain the Wife: A Quranic and Juristic Approach on Marriage Dissolution, co-written by Tengku Fatimah Muliana Tengku Muda from UniSZA, as well as Azizah Mohd and Noraini Md. Hashim from IIUM, it discussed on the wider scope of the term darar, as opposed to its literal meaning, to include the physical, psychological, emotional as well as financial contexts. This is propounded by scholars of Tafseer. Thus, according to the above writers, a husband’s failure to provide his wife maintenance is a form of “emotional abuse” and thus constitutes darar.

     

    The various interpretations of the term darar are based on the definitions given by Muslim scholars. For instance, according to Abu Jayb, darar can also be equated to “dayyiq”, which means “a state of narrowness and difficulties”. Meanwhile, At-Tabari regarded darar as “a state of extreme hardship and affliction”. On the other hand, As-Suyuti considered darar to constitute “emotional disturbance or distress”. Thus, based on the foregoing interpretations given by learned Muslim scholars, the writers were emphasising the point that failure to provide maintenance is a form of darar that should not be taken lightly. Further reading can be made, by referring to the aforementioned article.

     

    FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AS A GROUND FOR MARRIAGE DISSOLUTION

    A review on cases decided by the Malaysian Syariah Courts on this matter would make us understand better the nexus between failure to maintain on the part of the husband with the darar thereby suffered by the wife to justify a fasakh divorce application. In a 2013 case cited as Noor Aisyah binti Ali Akbar v Mohd Shahnaz bin Mohd Amin, the wife was diagnosed with “major depression” by a psychiatrist. The husband’s failure to provide maintenance to the wife had affected the latter’s psychologically. The Court had thereby granted her application for divorce via fasakh.

     

    In another case called Masrifawati binti Humala Marpaung v Mohammad Wazir bin Yeop Mat, a 2011 case, the wife was denied from the right of maintenance for about nine (9) years long, despite the fact being that the husband was in existent. As a consequence, the wife had suffered emotionally. The Court had rightfully granted her fasakh application and had also noted that the husband’s failure to provide maintenance for his wife had resulted in darar to the latter.

     

    The above two cases are discussed in the article cited under the previous heading. Based on the above cases and other quoted cases, the co-authors of the article found that failure of a husband to provide maintenance to his wife has caused darar to the latter, which justifies a dissolution of marriage via fasakh.

     

    MAINTENANCE TO A WORKING WIFE

    Lastly, in the Malaysian context, we can see that a husband has a duty to provide maintenance to his wife as well as his former wife (during ‘iddah period) as enshrined under section 59(1) of IFLA. The law does not isolate a working wife from an equal entitlement of maintenance. A wife would only be disentitled from receiving maintenance in the case of nusyuz, or as the law puts: “unreasonably refuses to obey the lawful wishes or commands of her husband”. The decided cases in the Syariah Courts have also painted a similar connotation, whereby the Court have not taken into account the working status of a wife in deciding for her right to maintenance but have only concerned on whether the wife is nusyuz or otherwise.

     

    For instance, in a 2001 case of Salina binti Mohd. Dahlan v. Mohd Salleh bin Haji Haron, despite the plaintiff’s occupation as a teacher, the Court did not disentitle her from receiving maintenance from her husband who had denied her from such right for more than one year. The Court had granted her fasakh application and had quoted from page 113 of al-Firqatu Baina al-Tazwijaini, which reads:

    “There is no doubt that to hold a wife without any maintenance causes her severe harm (darar) and pain. In this case, the husband is supposed to let the wife go in a kind manner. When the husband did not do that, Qadi can pronounce talaq to avoid cruelty and harm”

     

    The above case is found quoted at page 119 of Muslim Wife’s Right to Maintenance: Husband’s Duty to Maintain a Working Wife in Islamic Law and the Law in Malaysia.

     

    CONCLUSION

    To conclude, providing nafaqah or maintenance to a wife is an obligation upon a husband in Islam. If this right is not duly conferred to the wife would not only cause financial harm (darar) and hardship, instead, the wife might suffer psychologically as well, as discussed above. Despite the fact that ending a marriage by way of pronouncing talaq is, so to speak, a man’s “power”, it is nevertheless not absolute. Decided cases have proven that a wife may “equally” dissolve a marriage by way of fasakh or even ta’liq on the ground of the husband’s failure to maintain. Furthermore, a husband must note that employment does not make a wife any less entitled from receiving maintenance from her husband, as long as the wife’s employment is consented by the husband.

     

    The sacred unity of a man and a woman is not aimed to end with divorce nor does Islam tolerate any form of hardship or difficulty to be suffered by either party to the marriage. However, our religion and the law in our country provide an avenue for a wife who has been neglected from receiving her lawful right, i.e. nafaqah to seek for divorce either through ta’liq or fasakh (by fulfilling certain requirements) when the darar persists and cannot be availed due to the ignorance, cruelty or negligence of the husband. At the end of the day, the option lies on the wife whether to step up and enforce her lawful right or to let herself persistently engulfed in hardship and misery. Wallahu a’lam.

  • PENAFIAN NASAB ANAK DALAM ISLAM - BOLEHKAH DNA MENDAHULUI LIAN

    PENAFIAN NASAB ANAK DALAM ISLAM: BOLEHKAH DNA MENDAHULUI LI’AN?

    PERSOALAN/ISU DNA, PENAFIAN NASAB ANAK, LI’AN: Sejajar dengan kecanggihan teknologi, nasab anak boleh ditentukan melalui ujian paterniti DNA. Menurut laman web rasmi Jabatan Kimia Malaysia (JKM), ujian ini biasanya dibuat untuk mengesahkan mahupun menafikan kenasaban seorang anak kepada bapa biologinya. Tambahannya, ketepatan sesuatu ujian paterniti DNA ialah 99.9999%. Persoalan yang timbul ialah, adakah Islam menerima pakai kaedah ujian paterniti DNA ini untuk menafikan nasab anak kepada bapa biologinya, dengan mengambil kira tahap ketepatannya atau terdapat kaedah yang khusus dalam isu penafian nasab anak menurut kaca mata Islam? Makalah kali ini akan mengupas isu-isu yang bersangkut paut dengan penafian nasab anak menurut perspektif Islam dengan merujuk kepada kes-kes berkaitan yang telah diselesaikan di Mahkamah Syariah di Malaysia.

     

    UNDANG-UNDANG/HUKUM:

    Kes Eddyham bin Zainuddin lwn Rahimah bt. Muhamad JH 40 BHG. 2 1436H di peringkat Mahkamah Rayuan Syariah di Negeri Sembilan telah membincangkan isu ini secara teliti, yang mana kes ini menyentuh dua isu utama iaitu penerimaan keterangan pakar dalam keputusan DNA untuk menafikan nasab anak serta isu tempoh penafian nasab anak menurut hukum syara’. Oleh yang demikian, kes ini sedikit sebanyak akan dirujuk dalam makalah kali ini.

     

    ISU 1: KAEDAH PENAFIAN NASAB ANAK

    Menurut Mahkamah Rayuan Syariah dalam kes tersebut, walaupun ujian DNA lebih moden dan bersifat saintifik, ia hanya boleh diguna pakai dalam pensabitan nasab dan bukan untuk menafikan nasab. Pensabitan nasab melalui kaedah DNA dapat diterima pakai dengan menyamakan kaedah tersebut dengan qiyafah iaitu kaedah penentuan nasab secara tradisional. Hadith nabi yang membenarkan kaedah qiyafah yang disertakan dalam kes tersebut ialah hadith nabi yang disebut dalam Subul Al-Salam Syarh Bulugh Al-Maram, terjemahannya:

    Dari ‘A’isyah r.a. berkata: pada suatu hari Nabi s.a.w telah masuk menemuiku dalam keadaan gembira yang jelas terbayang di wajah baginda sambil berkata ((Tidakkah kamu melihat bagaimana Mujazzazi al-Mudliji? Sebentar tadi dia telah memerhatikan Zaid bin Harithah dan Usamah b. Zaid dan menilik kaki mereka, lalu dia berkata: kaki mereka mempunyai persamaan antara satu sama lain (yakni mempunyai pertalian nasab).

     

    Namun begitu, menurut Mahkamah Syariah Rayuan dalam kes tersebut, kaedah pensabitan nasab menurut hukum syara’ adalah berbeza berbanding dengan kaedah penafian nasab. Ini adalah disebabkan oleh kaedah khusus yang telah ditetapkan oleh hukum syara’ untuk penafian nasab iaitu melalui kaedah li’an. Dalil pensyariatan li’an disebabkan oleh qazaf, iaitu seorang suami telah menuduh isterinya berzina dengan lelaki lain yang mengakibatkan terlahirnya anak yang dinafikan nasab tersebut, telah dirakamkan di dalam kitab suci Al-Qur’an iaitu di dalam Surah An-Nur ayat 6-9. Mafhumnya:

    Dan orang-orang yang menuduh isteri-isterinya (berzina) dan tiada mempunyai saksi lain selain dari dirinya, maka kesaksian seseorang itu (dapat diterima) dengan empat kali bersumpah dengan Nama Allah bahawa ia dari orang-orang yang benar. Dan (sumpah) yang kelima ialah bahawa kutukan Allah akan ditimpa ke atasnya jika ia dari kalangan orang-orang yang berdusta. Dan isteri pula terhindar dari hukuman (had) jika ia bersaksi (bersumpah) sebanyak 4 kali dengan nama Allah bahawa suaminya dari kalangan-kalangan orang-orang yang berdusta. Dan sumpah yang kelima ialah bahawa kemurkaan Allah akan ditimpakan kepadanya jika suaminya termasuk orang-orang yang benar.”

     

    Memandangkan kes ini diputuskan di Negeri Sembilan, maka Enakmen Undang-undang Keluarga Islam (Negeri Sembilan) 2003 telah dirujuk, yang mana seksyen 111 Enakmen tersebut juga telah menetapkan li’an sebagai kaedah khusus dalam kes penafian nasab anak. Sekyen tersebut adalah pari materia dengan seksyen 110 Akta Undang-undang Keluarga Islam (Wilayah-wilayah Persekutuan) 1984, yang berbunyi:

    Jika seseorang perempuan yang berkahwin dengan seseorang lelaki melahirkan seorang anak lebih daripada enam bulan qamariah dari tarikh perkahwinannya itu atau dalam masa empat tahun qamariah selepas perkahwinannya itu dibubarkan sama ada oleh sebab kematian lelaki itu atau oleh sebab perceraian, dan perempuan itu pula tidak berkahwin semula, maka lelaki itu hendaklah disifatkan sebagai bapa anak itu, tetapi lelaki itu boleh, dengan cara li’an atau kutukan, menafikan anak itu sebagai anaknya di hadapan Mahkamah.

     

    Menurut dalil daripada Al-Qur’an serta provisi undang-undang di atas, ternyata, hanya terdapat satu kaedah khusus dalam penafian nasab anak iaitu melalui kaedah li’an dan bukan dengan cara yang lain, mahupun dengan kaedah yang serba moden seperti DNA. Ini juga adalah selaras dengan keputusan Majma’ Fiqh al-Islami yang telah bersidang pada 5-10 Januari 2002, bahawa kaedah DNA “tidak boleh digunakan untuk menafikan nasab anak apalagi digunakannya untuk mendahului kaedah li’an”, seperti yang tertera di laman web rasmi Jabatan Mufti Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan.

     

    ISU 2: TEMPOH PENAFIAN NASAB ANAK

    Seterusnya, isu yang perlu dibincangkan ialah tempoh penafian nasab anak menurut hukum syara’. Di Malaysia, kes berkaitan dengan li’an  bukanlah sesuatu yang asing mahupun baru, tetapi setakat ini, masih belum ada lagi kes yang berjaya untuk menafikan nasab anak melalui kaedah li’an disebabkan oleh ketidakcaknaan pemohon akan tempoh penafian nasab anak yang mempunyai hadnya. Antara kes-kes berkaitan dengan li’an yang boleh anda rujuk ialah kes Haji Ghazali v. Asmah JH (1980-81) Jil. 2 serta kes Wan Azmi lwn Nik Salwani (1415H) 9 JH(2) 192, yang mana isu mengenai keperluan menyegerakan penafian nasab anak dalam kes li’an telah disentuh. Punca lain yang mengakibatkan permohonan li’an gagal adalah apabila seorang suami hanya mengambil tindakan untuk menafikan nasab anak yang dikandung isterinya setelah isterinya membuat tuntutan nafkah. Perkara ini juga telah dibincangkan dalam kedua-dua kes yang telah disebutkan di atas.

     

    Dalam kes Eddyham bin Zainuddin lwn Rahimah bt. Muhamad (supra), Mahkamah telah merujuk kepada kitab Mughni al-Muhtaj, Jilid 3, hlm. 381, yang menukilkan bahawa:

    “Penafian nasab hendaklah dibuat dengan kadar segera menurut qaul jadeed. Diterima kelewatan sebagai keuzuran bilamana ia menerima khabar isterinya telah melahirkan anak pada malam hari, lalu ia menangguhkan sehingga pagi hari atau ia menerima khabar itu semasa sedang lapar, lalu ditangguhkan sehingga ia selesai makan, atau ketika sedang telanjang sehingga ia berpakaian. Sekiranya ia dipenjara, atau sakit atau kerana takut hartanya binasa, maka ia hendaklah menghantar surat kepada hakim supaya dihantar naibnya untuk membolehkan dia berli’an di hadapan naibnya atau memaklumkan kepada hakim bahawa pendiriannya adalah menafikan nasab anak itu. Jika ia tidak menafikan dengan segera maka terbatal haknya untuk menafikannya.”

     

    Jelaslah menurut kitab di atas, penafian nasab anak perlulah dibuat dengan kadar segera dan kelewatan hanya diterima jika terdapat keuzuran. Dalam kes Eddyham ini, Mahkamah berpendapat tiada keuzuran yang mengharuskan kelewatannya menafikan nasab anak iaitu selepas tiga tahun setelah terdapat qarinahqarinah atau petunjuk-petunjuk yang menunjukkan zan yang kuat bahawa anak tersebut tidak berasal daripada nasabnya. Maka, persoalannya sekarang, seberapa segerakah penafian nasab perlu dilakukan?

     

    Mazhab yang empat telah berselisih pendapat mengenai hal ini. Menurut pendapat mazhab Hanafi, penafian nasab perlulah dilakukan sejurus selepas anak tersebut dilahirkan atau dalam tempoh tujuh (7) hari secara adat atau kebiasaannya diterima ucapan tahniah disebabkan oleh kelahiran bayi tersebut. Kitab Al-Fiqh al-Islam wa Adillatuh, karangan Wahbah al-Zuhaili, Jilid 7, muka surat 567 boleh dirujuk untuk mengetahui pandangan mazhab Hanafi ini. Seterusnya, menurut pendapat mazhab Maliki, penafian perlulah dibuat sebelum kelahiran anak tersebut, jika suami tersebut mengetahui akan status anak tersebut dari mulanya. Pendapat ini ada disebutkan di dalam kitab Wahbah al-Zuhaili tersebut pada halaman 569. Manakala, menurut Mazhab Syafi’ie, penafian hendaklah dilakukan sewaktu bayi tersebut berada dalam kandungan ibunya atau sejurus setelah kelahiran. Ini juga merupakan pendapat mazhab Hanbali, dan penjelasan lanjut boleh anda rujuk kitab Mughni al-Muhtaj, Jilid 5, halaman 76.

     

    Bagaimanakah pula dengan pengaplikasiannya di Malaysia? Merujuk kepada kes Wan Azmi lwn Nik Salwani (supra), yang juga dirujuk oleh Mahkamah yang bijaksana dalam kes Eddyham (supra), tempoh penafian setelah lebih kurang setahun kelahiran anak juga dikira lewat iaitu sewaktu si isteri membuat tuntutan nafkah terhadap suaminya. Manakala, dalam kes Eddyham, terdapat unsur kelewatan menafikan nasab anak, apabila si suami menafikan nasab anak yang dilahirkan isterinya itu selepas tiga tahun setelah terdapat qarinahqarinah yang menimbulkan zan yang kuat untuk menafikan nasab anak tersebut.

     

    APLIKASI & KESIMPULAN

    Merujuk kepada otoriti-otiriti di atas dan diaplikasikan kepada isu-isu yang dibincangkan dalam makalah kali ini, kaedah untuk menafikan nasab anak menurut kaca mata Islam hanyalah satu, iaitu melalui kaedah li’an, manakala ujian DNA hanyalah sebagai penguat, qarinah atau petunjuk untuk meyakinkan suami sebelum beliau membuat li’an terhadap isterinya untuk menafikan nasab anak yang dilahirkan isterinya. Ini adalah demikian kerana, suami tidak seharusnya sewenang-wenangnya menafikan nasab anak yang dikandung isteri, atau dalam erti kata lain, menuduh isteri melakukan zina dengan lelaki lain, kerana kesalahan qazaf atau menuduh isteri melakukan zina membawa kepada hukuman had.        Manakala, menjawab isu tempoh penafian nasab dalam Islam, ia haruslah dibuat seberapa segera, dan had tempoh yang spesifik akan bergantung kepada fakta kes kerana Mahkamah atau hakim yang bijaksana akan mengambil kira jika terdapat sebarang keuzuran yang membolehkan kelewatan penafian nasab dilakukan. Jika penafian nasab dilewatkan tanpa sebarang keuzuran, tuntutan li’an berpotensi untuk ditolak oleh Mahkamah semudahnya. Wallahu a’lam.

  • marriage-in-islam-beyond-the-words-i-do-part-ii

    MARRIAGE IN ISLAM: BEYOND THE WORDS “I DO” (PART II)

    In the preceding article (Marriage in Islam: Beyond the words “I do” Part I), we had touched on one of the two essential elements to build a happy Muslim family i.e. iman, and the two subdivisions under it, namely; ‘aqeedah and ‘ilm based on a “Muslim happy family model” as elucidated in an article entitled “Model Keluarga Bahagia Menurut Islam”, written by Nur Zahidah Hj Jaapar and Associate Professor Raihanah Hj Azahari. For this second part of the article, we will further explore the second element which is ‘amal and the subdivisions under it, as listed by the writers of the article.

     

    ‘Amal

    This second element is as per stated by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, in his book called “al-‘Ibadah fi al-Islam”. The duo (writers of the article) began elaborating the second element by stating that the precondition to build a happy Muslim family is to associate iman with ‘amal. Or in other words, these two must co-exist. The writers continued that as Muslims, we must put into practice the commandments that Allah prescribed for us, as vicegerents (khalifah) of the Almighty. The branches of ‘amal as spelled out by the writers include niyyah, akhlaq, social, amanah, and physical safety, of which all of these branches will be dealt with, one by one, in the following paragraphs.

     

    There is a quote as shown on the Brainy Quote website by Harold S. Geneen which goes “leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actionsand Marshall Goldsmith; an American leadership guru also once said “one of the most important actions, things a leader can do, is to lead by example. If you want everyone else to be passionate, committed, dedicated, and motivated, you go first!” Based on these two quotes, we can see how important it is to actualise what we believe in and to practise what we have learnt. As human beings, we are not only leaders to our subjects but we are foremost the leaders of our own selves. It is our personal responsibility to lead our lives positively, by doing the acts that Allah orders us to do and to refrain from His prohibitions.

     

    A verse from the Qur’an which mentions both iman and ‘amal in one verse is verse 97 of Surah An-Nahl, whereby Allah says:

    Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)

    (Translation by Muhsin Khan)

    *All qur’anic translations are taken from https://quran.com/

     

    Niyyah

    As Muslims, niyyah or intention forms an integral part of our lives, as the acts of worship that we perform on a daily basis such as in our five daily prayers, in our ablutions, among others, revolves around niyyah; lillahi ta’ala. In fact, in the famous forty hadeeth of Imam Nawawi, the first hadeeth in its compilation is pertaining to niyyah. Whereby it is stated that “Actions are according to intentions, and everyone will get what was intended…” (See: 40hadithnawawi.com).

     

    According to Sayyid Sabiq, in his book; Fiqh al-Sunnah, as cited by the writers of the article, the underlying objectives of building a successful Muslim family are, inter alia, to satisfy the innate fitrah of mankind in having a family of their own, to attain serenity and tranquillity of the soul, to ensure happiness in one’s household, and to produce soleh and solehah offspring.

     

    By having a clear intention in mind, a husband and wife will strive and direct their actions towards realising the goals that a Muslim family should achieve. By contemplating on Surah Luqman, parents will get valuable guidance, on how to educate their children, and concomitantly their own selves. The lessons can be found from verses 13-19, whereby Luqman said to his son:

    • Not to commit syirk (associating Allah with partners)
    • To be dutiful and good to your parents and to give thanks to Allah and to our parents
    • To perform salah, enjoin for al-ma’ruf (goodness) and to forbid from al-munkar and to be patient with the adversities that befall us
    • Not to be arrogant to others
    • Portray humbleness/ moderateness (in walking and in tone of voice)

    (The above are the excerpts of the verses based on the translation by Muhsin Khan)

     

    Akhlaq

    Next, according to Akram Radamursi, in his book al-‘Usrah al-Muslimah fi al-‘Alim al Mu’asir, akhlaq is one of the essential ingredients to build a happy Muslim family, as per stated by the writers in their article. We should inculcate good moral conducts in the lives of our children since small so that they will grow up to become sensible and good-natured individuals. How children behave outdoors very much reflect on the ways they are raised by their parents at home. As Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. is the best of mankind, parents should live their lives by making the Holy Prophet as an example and should shape their children with the same mould as well. Allah s.w.t. says in Surah Al-Qalam, verse 4:

    And verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) are on an exalted standard of character.”

    (Translation by Muhsin Khan)

     

    Books such as Syama’il al-Muhammadiyyah which, inter alia, talks about the manners and moral conducts of the Holy Prophet in his everyday life and Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar) which biographs about the Holy Prophet would be a good read for parents and children alike.

     

    Social

    The writers of the article further stated that a construction of a Muslim family must be founded on the concept of husn al mu’asyarah or al-mu’asyarah bil ma’ruf i.e. good social interaction between the members of the family. The definition of “good” must be in accordance with the teachings contained in the Qur’an and Sunnah. As stated by Mahmud Saedon bin Osman in his working paper entitled “Asas Pembentukan Keluarga Bahagia”, as cited in the article, something is not declared as “good” (ma’ruf), unless it is good and blessed by Allah and it is not included in the categories of munkar, ma’siyah and abuse/corruption.

     

    Interactive communications in one’s household are needed to connect each member of the family and for the family members to understand each other better. Dr. Amal Ibrahim Abd El-Fattah Khalil from King Saud bin Abdul-Aziz University for Health Sciences, wrote in his article entitled “The Islamic Perspective of Interpersonal Communication” that family members should make communication among them as a routine and they should improve on how they interact with one another. As communication itself is a process, each family member needs to be patient in understanding one another and in building stronger ties between them.

     

    Bear in mind that in developing good communications between family members, it is not only about expressing one’s thoughts and feelings to another or the others, but it requires a good pair of listening ears, and a pure heart that sympathises and concerns about the matter(s) or feelings shared/expressed. Plus, each member of the family should be proactive in finding and providing solutions for any problem faced by any member of the family.

     

    Amanah

    Amanah is one of the ingredients for a happy Muslim family as stated by Hidayah Allah Ahmad, in his book “Al Shash Mausu’ah al-Tarbiyyah al-‘Amaliyyah li al-Tifl. In an article entitled “Value of Al-Amanah in Human Life” written by Sofiah bt. Samsudin and Md. Sirajul Islam from International Islamic University Malaysia, the writers began their article by providing the definition of amanah based on what was stated by Al-Ragib al-Asfahani, whereby “amanah” is originated from the word “amn”, which means “tranquillity of the heart”. And as cited by the writers, according to Al-Ragib, “amanah” literally means “honesty, straightness and integrity”.

     

    A verse from the Holy Qur’an which talks about amanah can be found in Surah An-Nisaa’ verse 58, whereby Allah says to the effect:

    Verily! Allah commands that you should render back the trusts (al-amanaat) to those, to whom they are due…

    (Translation by Muhsin Khan)

     

    Reflecting on the word amanah in the above verse, the concept of amanah in Islam is very much related with the concept of “takleef” or accountability. In a family, everyone has his/her very own responsibilities be he/she a husband or a wife or a parent or even a child. And in discharging their duties and responsibilities, they are accountable in what they are doing. The duties of parents to their children and vice versa would need a topic on its own. Hence, we will not be listing one by one in this article. But the general idea pertaining to the concept of amanah in one’s family is that, by knowing that each and every member of the family has religious and familial responsibilities and duties to undertake, a family voyage would experience a smooth sailing, in sha Allah.

     

    Physical Safety and Economic Stability

    Islam, being a holistic religion (syumuliyyah) also concerns about the taking care of men’s physical and mental health. I have watched Malay dramas which depicted the characters of a husband having Othello Syndrome (delusional jealousy), which triggered him to abuse his wife uncontrollably whenever he saw his wife with other men (though for office matters), and sometimes a husband or a wife having an anger disorder which negatively affects the rest of the family members. These scenes were not merely fictional, nor were the dramas being exaggeratingly dramatic, but they are occurring in real life. Therefore, we should never take mental health issues lightly as they can lead to an irretrievably broken down marriage or even family, if not taken care of properly.

     

    Islam acknowledges mental health issues, and according to Associate Professor Dr. Ramli Musa, from Kulliyyah of Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia, the Islamic model that is designed to cure mental illness is known as “bio-psycho-social and spiritual model”, whereby the psycho-social aspect requires the support of the family members. This shows that, family members should not be in denial of nor neglect the mental illness but need to address the matter by providing all the attention, love, help and support that they can give towards the affected member, and to seek professional advice and treatment to cure such mental illness.

     

    On the other hand, when it comes to financial management in a family, both parents especially the husband/father who has the responsibility to provide sustenance for the family, need(s) to ensure the economic stability of the family, avoid extravagant expenditures and inculcate saving habits in their children at an early age. Though wealth can never guarantee happiness, economic stability can help to provide a better living standard for the betterment of the family.

     

    Allah s.w.t. says in the Qur’an, in Surah Al-Israa’, verse 17:

    “Verily, spendthrifts are brothers of the Shayatin (devils), and the Shaitan (Devil – Satan) is ever ungrateful to his Lord”

    (Translation by Muhsin Khan)

     

    CONCLUSION

    Building a happy Muslim family is a golden dream for many. Yet, many choose not to live in accordance to the Islamic tenets. When in fact, the Qur’an and the Sunnah have provided comprehensive guidelines for husband and wife, as well as parents and children to adhere to, in ensuring happiness and harmony in one’s family. Allah s.w.t. says in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 256:

    “Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break

    (Translation by Muhsin Khan)

    The time has come for each member of the family to make a self-reflection and determine the aspects in life that we can improve, in line with the Islamic teachings to build a family that is filled with mawaddah, sakeenah, wa rahmah, in sha Allah. Wallahu a’lam.

  • marriage-in-islam-beyond-the-words-i-do-part-i

    MARRIAGE IN ISLAM: BEYOND THE WORDS “I DO” (PART I)

    Watching some local drama series on the television, most often than not, when it comes to characters playing the roles as a marriage couple, we would see that if not the husband who is having an extra-marital affair with another lady or a few women, the wife is, with another guy or a few men. And at the end of the day, the ones who have to suffer most of the repercussions of the marital discrepancies are the children, resulting in the family institution being all wrecked and shattered to unamendable pieces.

     

    A family unit having marital problems is the kind of theme that most dramas are portraying. No matter how cliché or common the story lines are, we cannot be in denial that such things do happen to some of our friends or our family members, if not to ourselves. Na’udzubillahi min dzalik. Being imperfect and fallible beings, who sin and make mistakes every single day, it would be too far-fetched, if not impossible, to dream for a “perfect” marriage or family life. Be that as it may, we should always strive to be the best that we can, as a husband or wife or parent for the interest of our own family institution. After all, taking care of our marriage and family is an amanah that should not be taken lightly.

     

    Some people might have a misconception lingering in their minds that marriage in Islam is as simple as the words “I do,” or “Aku terima nikahnya,” This wrong perception must certainly stop and be corrected. With marriage, obligations and responsibilities come into play, and both husband and wife must know and need to shoulder together these duties to build a happy marriage life. Bear in mind that marriage will not be a successful one, unilaterally. It only functions successfully if each and every single unit of the family institution works hand in hand to make it a reality. As one of the primary purposes of marriage in Islam is for procreation, a stable marriage life is needed to build a happy family institution. Hence, in this article we will start with the very basic concept of marriage in Islam, proceeded with the Muslim model of a happy family.

     

    THE CONCEPT OF MARRIAGE IN ISLAM

    In Islam, marriage is not merely to make halal the love-relationship between a man and a woman. Instead, it is a sacred union where marriage itself is considered as an act of worship. The Prophet s.a.w. in a reliable hadeeth narrated by At-Tabarani, had said, “Whoever marries has completed half of his faith. So let him have fear of Allah in the remaining half.” Dr. Aisha Hamdan, the author of “Nurturing Eeman in Children” in quoting this hadeeth has stated that since marriage is regarded as an act of worship to Allah, both husband and wife need to steer and lead their marriage life by observing the commandments that Allah has laid down in respect of marriage. And in so doing, the marriage couple needs to always equip themselves with knowledge so that their marriage life is nurtured and moulded in such a way that is pleasing Allah and in line with the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

     

    Considerations prior to marriage

    As people could be easily infatuated with and be blinded by love, it is very pertinent to consider the right person you are going to spend the rest of your life with, as your spouse is the one that will be your support system and your other half, in creating a family that is filled with mawaddah, sakeenah wa rahmah.

     

    Taqwa or righteousness is one of the key considerations in selecting a spouse. Allah says in Surah Al-Nuur verse 32: “Marry those among you who are single, and the virtuous ones among your slaves, male or female; if they are in poverty, Allah will give them means out of His grace: For Allah is Ample-giving, and He knows all things”. In commenting about this verse, the writer of “Tuhfat al-‘Arous (The Bride’s Boon)” stated that “religiousness is the only condition mentioned in the verse for a suitable match”.

     

    And in fact, in a famous authentic hadeeth narrated by Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet said: “A woman is married for four things: her wealth, her family status, her beauty and her religion. So you should marry the one who is superior in religion, otherwise you will be a loser”. Based on the Quranic verse and the hadeeth of the Prophet, by marrying someone who is faithful to his or her religion, a marriage and family that are erected towards seeking Allah’s pleasure can be achieved, and whenever something is done that is not incompliance with the Islamic faith, the other spouse can help to rectify the wrong done and pull the other back on track towards the truth, as stated by Dr. Aisha Hamdan, in her book entitled “Nurturing Eeman in Children” at page 50.

     

    Marriage and parenting are interrelated. A righteous marriage couple needs to be guided on how to steer and navigate their marriage life towards building a blessed and happy family institution. Below are listed the ingredients to build a happy family from the Islamic perspective.

     

    MUSLIM MODEL OF A HAPPY FAMILY

    In an article written by Nur Zahidah Hj Jaapar from UiTM and Associate Professor Raihanah Hj Azahari from the Department of Fiqh and Usul, Academy of Islamic Studies in University of Malaya, they have come up with a Muslim model of a happy family, containing a number of important elements that need to be worked out and considered by both husband and wife as parents. The two main ingredients are iman and ‘amal. Whereby, the authors divided iman into ‘aqeedah and ‘ilm. Meanwhile, ‘amal will be further divided into niyyah, akhlaq, social, amanah, as well as physical and economic safety/stability. The first part of this article will only touch on iman and the categorisations under it.

     

    Iman

    This element is discussed based on what Akram Radamursi wrote in his book entitled “al-Usrah al-Muslimah fi al-‘Alim al-Mu’asir”. According to the writers of the article, Allah stresses on the importance of protecting our faith and piety (taqwa) in strengthening the relationship among family members. In verse 1 of Surah An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

    O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women and fear Allah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you”.

    (Translation by Muhsin Khan)

     

    Dr. Aisha Hamdan in her parenting book (as cited in the preceding paragraph), had elaborated on this point rather beautifully. Since iman is what lies in the heart and to be meant as a “sincere faith” in the six pillars of iman, a child who is nurtured with iman will make a choice in his or her life from within instead of due to the external influences. And with iman in the heart, a child’s actions are directed towards reaping for Allah’s pleasure instead of seeking for worldly gains. Not only children, a husband and wife who have iman will be wary of their conducts and ensure that what they are doing are in line with what their faith preaches. With iman, the structure of a Muslim family is sturdy and firm, and without it, just like a house with broken pillars, it will inevitably collapse and crush to pieces. As iman is the basic foundation of the life of a human being, it is the most crucial element that needs to be instilled in one’s own family.

     

    ‘Aqeedah

    Next, according to the writers of the article, the second element of a Muslim model of a happy family is ‘aqeedah. And this is based on Yusuf Qasim in his book called “Huquq al-‘Usrah fi al-Fiqh al-Islami”. The writers said that the strength of one’s iman is very much connected with the soundness of the ‘aqeedah of each and every individual Muslim including a husband and wife. And the ‘aqeedah is considered as sound and strong when a person’s ‘aqeedah is based on a firm faith and trust in the existence of Allah, in line with the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and to refrain from associating Allah with anything else (syirk) as well as a firm belief in the perfect traits/characteristics of Allah.

     

    A verse in the Qur’an which reflects the call for a true ‘aqeedah is as laid down in Surah al-A’raf, verse 59, whereby Allah says:

    We had certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, “O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous Day.

     (Translation by Muhsin Khan)

     

    According to Dr. Aisha Hamdan, ‘aqa’id (the plural for ‘aqeedah) connote “those things that people’s hearts affirm and believe in; things that people accept as true”. In elaborating about the relationship between ‘aqeedah and iman, she wrote that iman is founded and based on ‘aqeedah and the connection between ‘aqeedah, iman and family-building is that the existence of these two elements will be some sort of a compass which would direct the hearts of all the entities in a family unit to lead their lives with a sincere intention to please Allah, and to duly follow His commandments because of Him and not to please anybody else, as Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah verse 165 that: “… those who believe are stronger in love for Allah…”.

     

    ‘Ilm

    The next element is ‘ilm, and this is based on what was written by Yusuf Qaradawi, in his book called “Fi Tariq ila Allah”. According to the writers of the article, knowledge is the most essential precondition in attaining happiness as every single thing in this world needs to be based upon knowledge. As a Muslim who is knowledgeable, he/she needs to act according to what he/she is taught or has learned, especially in being fearful to God (taqwa). As Allah says in the Qur’an, in verse 28 of Surah Faatir:

    …It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah…

    (Translation by Muhsin Khan)

     

    Seeking and possessing knowledge are very much needed in building a happy and blessed Muslim family as knowledge will drive us to “which is true in life-to the straight path,” as written by Dr. Aisha Hamdan on “the importance of knowledge”.

     

    CONCLUSION

    To conclude the first part of this discussion, by having a profound understanding of the true concept of marriage in Islam, and the underlying objectives that a Muslim marriage aims to achieve, both husband and wife will have a clearer outlook on how they should direct their lives, in becoming righteous servants of Allah and in playing their roles as husband and wife and future parents for their children. The first three essential ingredients in building a happy and blessed Muslim family which are highlighted in this present article, concern with the inner souls and minds of human beings. Despite their intangible nature, iman, ‘aqeedah and ‘ilm are three key-ingredients that need to be strengthened first and foremost, as they lay the basic foundation in building the blocks of a successful marriage or even family life from the Islamic perspective. Without these three, a marriage or even a family life will lose its Islamic essence and true happiness will never be achieved. Wallahu a’lam.

  • confession and retraction

    CONFESSION AND ITS RETRACTION: THE MALAYSIAN EXPERIENCE

    Logically speaking, no one would ever admit his guilt, upon which would entail punishment except if it is the truth. Therefore, confession or al-iqrar is considered as the strongest mode of proof to some. It is in fact, labelled as sayyidul hujaj (the king of all sources of proof) as enumerated in a Pakistani case of Khawand Bakhsh alias Khawando v. The State 2004 P Cr. L J 677 [Federal Shariat Court] at 682.[1] In the local case of Pendakwa Syarie lwn. Jalil Embong & Zaliha Endut (2004) 17 JH(I) 93 at 106, the learned Judge, in explaining about iqrar, had this to say:

    Iqrar is one of the strongest methods of proof in Islam. There is no disagreement among the jurists on this issue. Its legality has been established from the Qur’an as well as from the Sunnah.” (Translation from Bahasa Melayu).[2]

     

    In this makalah, we will explore in brief the concept of confession in Islam and the legal definition of it, as provided in the Malaysian statute. Further down this article, we would see the different approaches taken by the Malaysian Syariah Courts in determining the validity of retracted confession and the rationales of coming to such decisions.

     

    Definition

    Al-iqrar which derives from the root words qarra, yuqarru, qiraaran[3] literally means “admission” or “recognition[4]. Legally speaking, the scholars have come up with their own definitions, as follows:

    Shafi’i:

    • A testimony which is made by the maker of the admission, of a proved right of another person against himself.
    • Recognition (I’tiraf)[5]

    Hanafi:

    • An admission by the maker of the admission regarding the right of another person against himself.
    • A testimony of the maker of the admission through the use of particular wordings, pertaining to a right or interest (thabat al-haq) in favour of another person, and disadvantageous to the right or interest of the maker himself. [6]

     

    Our Syariah Court Evidence (Federal Territories) Act 1997 provides the definition of iqrar in its section 17(1) as “an admission made by a person, in writing or orally or by gesture, stating that he is under an obligation or liability to another person in respect of some right”.

    From all the above definitions, it can simply be understood that al-iqrar means establishing the right or interest of another person in the form of admission, against himself.

     

    The Legal Basis:

    The recognition of al-iqrar as a means of proof can be traced in various verses in the Holy Qur’an. One of the ayaat which highlights this point is verse 135 of Surah An-Nisaa’. Whereby Allah says:

    O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do.[7]

     

    Ibn ‘Arabi in interpreting this verse, had stated as follows: “…Thus, in the language of law, bearing testimony against oneself is known as acknowledgement (iqrar).[8] From the above verse, it is clear that iqrar is not a newly man-made invention but has gained recognition and inscribed in the Holy Book since thousands of years ago.

    Moreover, al-iqrar can also be seen practised during the era of the Prophet. And the oft-cited case of Ma’iz illustrated the concept of al-iqrar at its best. Whereby, in the case of Ma’iz, he had confessed to the Prophet that he had committed adultery. Only after the fourth time that he had testified to the Prophet did the Prophet call him to know if he was mad, of which, he answered in the negative and the Prophet ordered for him to be stoned to death. From this narrative, the act of Ma’iz testifying to the Prophet about his commission of adultery signified that he had testified against himself and thus connoted al-iqrar.

    Meanwhile, according to ijma’, the Muslim jurists have also come to a consensus when it comes to accepting al-iqrar as a means of proof. On the other hand, based on qiyas or analogy, Wahbah al-Zuhayli stated that if the syahadah is legally accepted as a means of proof without dispute, by analogy, to accept iqrar is more preferable.[9]

     

    RETRACTED CONFESSION

    In Malaysia, the issue of retracted confession had been decided in a few cases, some of which came to different conclusions pertaining to its validity. Before we delve into the cases, let us first define retraction of confession and closely examine the position of retracted confession according to the Muslim jurists.

    According to the Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, to “retract” means to “take back, withdraw”.[10] Simply said, in the present context, a retraction of confession means to withdraw or take back a confession which had been made by the maker/confessor. This discussion can be divided into the rights of Allah, the rights of mankind and ta’zir crimes.

     

    Rights of Allah (hudud offences)

    The Muslim jurists have agreed that retraction of confession in hudud offences would amount to a valid retraction. The effect of such retraction would render the hudud punishment to be substituted with ta’zir punishment if there are other evidences to support it.[11] The authorities to support this view is the case of Ma’iz, whereby when it was reported that Ma’iz attempted to run away during the commencement of stoning, the Prophet said “I wish you should have left him and brought him to me”, and Ibn Qayyim had interpreted the act of Ma’iz, attempting to run away from the scene of the execution of stoning as a connotation of retraction of confession.[12] Further, the retraction of confession creates doubt, and as the saying goes: “udra’ul hudud bil syubuhaat”. Thus, hudud punishment cannot be imposed as the retraction of confession casts doubt and doubt renders a hudud punishment unenforceable.

     

    Rights of Mankind (Qisas)

    According to Al-Qurtubi, a confession involving the rights of mankind cannot be retracted. This finding is based on Surah Al-Qiyaamah, verses 14-15[13], whereby Allah says:

    Nay! Man will be a witness against himself [as his body parts (skin, hands, legs, etc.) will speak about his deeds]. Though he may put forth his excuses (to cover his evil deeds).

     

    From the above two verses, it can be understood that whatever that has been done by a human being would be held accountable. This shall include a confession that was previously made. This finding is in line with the view of most of the jurists, including for the cases of qisas[14] and qazaf.[15] Article 1588 of the Mejelle also makes clear on this point, whereby it reads: “it is not lawful to go back from admissions concerning the rights of people”.[16] This maxim is very much related with the maxim in the Mejelle which states “a person is bound by his own admission[17] Hence, a person who has made a confession pertaining to the rights involving mankind  is bound by the confession made and is not allowed to retract it.[18]

     

    Ta’zir Offences

    According to Anwarullah, since the standard of proof in ta’zir offence suffices, if it only reaches the level of zann or beyond reasonable doubt, thus, it is not the same as in cases involving hudud offences, where retraction creates doubt and thus had punishment cannot be imposed due to the existence of doubt (retraction).[19] On the other hand, retraction in ta’zir offence does not affect the enforcement of ta’zir punishment(s).

     

    MALAYSIAN DECIDED CASES ON RETRACTION OF CONFESSION

    In the Malaysian context, we could see the different approaches taken by the Syariah Courts in deciding on the issue of retracted confession. For instance, in the case of Faridah lwn. Pendakwa Jenayah Kelantan JH 1, Bhg. 1, (1981-82), 89, whereby the Plaintiff was arrested for an attempt to commit illicit sexual intercourse with a man. Initially she admitted, later she made an application to retract such confession. The Court of Appeal in allowing her application had referred to several sources such as Kitab al-Mughni and al-Raudhah, as recorded in Sharkawi Tughah, Vol. 9, page 113, whereby it is permitted for those who have made confession pertaining to the offence of zina or of drinking intoxicants, to retract his/her iqrar as though it has never taken place ab initio. The Court had also referred to Kitab Fathul Wahhab, Vol. 5, page 134, whereby a person who had committed zina but had retracted his/her confession, the judgment must be set aside[20].

    A similar approach had been taken in the case of Che Lah lwn. Pendakwa Jenayah Kelantan JH 1, Bhg. 1, (1981-82), 86. In this case, the accused admitted in respect of the commission of zina with a girl. He later retracted his confession and the issue is whether he would still be liable to the said offence that he initially admitted. It was held that the initial admission cannot be taken as a proof of zina but merely of khalwat because of the existence of retraction.[21] The Court had referred to Kitab Fathul Wahhab, Vol. 5, page 134, whereby it is stated that “if a person has made a confession in zina case then retracts it, punishment cannot be imposed”.

    In contrary, in the case of Pendakwa v. Awang Mat Isa (1979) JH Bhg. 1, 80, the case also involved the offence of zina. At first, the Plaintiff pleaded guilty to the said offence but later wished to retract his confession. The Court, in referring to Kitab Sharkawi Tahrir, Vol. 2, page 141, which stated that “a valid confession cannot be retracted except in cases of murtad, drinking liquor, theft and robbery”, held that the retraction was invalid and convicted the accused to three months imprisonment.[22]

     

    CONCLUSION

    In conclusion, despite that al-iqrar or confession is unanimously accepted as a valid means of proof, the effect of its retraction depends very much on the nature of cases that the maker of the confession is convicted with. Even so, from the decided cases cited above, we could see that the Courts in relying to different authorities have come to different conclusions in accepting the maker’s retraction of confession in setting aside the conviction, despite the nature of the crime is the same i.e. ta’zir offence. Be that as it may, it is worth to be reminded that as Muslims, we are bound to state the truth be it against our own selves. Remember, we may escape the punishment in this world, but never will our deeds we be left unjudged in the Hereafter by the Most Just. Wallahu a’lam.

     

     

    [1] Hamid Jusoh, Islamic Law of Evidence: Sources and Its Applicability with Special Reference to the Practice in Malaysia and Pakistan (Selangor, 2001), vol. 1, 197-198.

    [2] Ibid, 198.

    [3] Ibnu Mazur, Lisan al-‘Arab (Beirut, Lebanon: Daru Ihya’ al-Turath al-‘Arabiy, 1992), vol.11, 98- 99, quoted in Hamid Jusoh, Islamic Law of Evidence: Sources and Its Applicability with Special Reference to the Practice in Malaysia and Pakistan (Selangor, 2001), vol. 1, 95.

    [4] Mahmud Saedon A. Othman, An Introduction to Islamic Law of Evidence (Kuala Lumpur: The Open Press, 2000), 30.

    [5] Muhammad Al-Sharbini Al-Khatib, Mughni al-Muhtaj (Egypt: Mustaffa Al-Babi Al-Halabi, 1958), vol. 3, 228, as quoted in Mahmud Saedon A. Othman, An Introduction to Islamic Law of Evidence (Kuala Lumpur: The Open Press, 2000), 30.

    [6] Mahmud Saedon A. Othman, An Introduction to Islamic Law of Evidence (Kuala Lumpur: The Open Press, 2000), 30.

    [7] See translation by Muhsin Khan at https://quran.com/4/135.

    [8] Hamid Jusoh, Islamic Law of Evidence: Sources and Its Applicability with Special Reference to the Practice in Malaysia and Pakistan (Selangor, 2001), vol. 1, 200.

    [9] Wahbah al-Zuhaili, Fiqh al-Islam wa Adillatuh, Vol.6, 611, quoted in Hamid Jusoh, Islamic Law of Evidence: Sources and Its Applicability with Special Reference to the Practice in Malaysia and Pakistan (Selangor, 2001), vol. 1, 200.

    [10] “Retract,” Merriam-Webster, accessed December 8, 2018, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retract.

    [11] Hamid Jusoh, Islamic Law of Evidence: Sources and Its Applicability with Special Reference to the Practice in Malaysia and Pakistan (Selangor, 2001), vol. 1, 367.

    [12] Ibid, 368.

    [13] Hamid Jusoh, Islamic Law of Evidence: Sources and Its Applicability with Special Reference to the Practice in Malaysia and Pakistan (Selangor, 2001), vol. 1, 390-391.

    [14] Wahbah al-Zuhaili, Op. cit., Vol. 6, 388, cited in Hamid Jusoh, Islamic Law of Evidence: Sources and Its Applicability with Special Reference to the Practice in Malaysia and Pakistan (Selangor, 2001), vol. 1, 391.

    [15] Ahmad al-Hasri, ‘Ilmu al-Qada’ (Cairo, 1980), Vol. 2, 383, cited in Hamid Jusoh, Islamic Law of Evidence: Sources and Its Applicability with Special Reference to the Practice in Malaysia and Pakistan (Selangor, 2001), vol. 1, 391.

    [16] The Mejelle, Article 1588, http://legal.pipa.ps/files/server/ENG%20Ottoman%20Majalle%20(Civil%20Law).pdf.

    [17] The Mejelle, Article 79, http://legal.pipa.ps/files/server/ENG%20Ottoman%20Majalle%20(Civil%20Law).pdf.

    [19] Anwarullah, Principles of Evidence in Islam, 100, cited in Hamid Jusoh, Islamic Law of Evidence: Sources and Its Applicability with Special Reference to the Practice in Malaysia and Pakistan (Selangor, 2001), vol. 1, 394.

    [20] See footnote 680 in Hamid Jusoh, Islamic Law of Evidence: Sources and Its Applicability with Special Reference to the Practice in Malaysia and Pakistan (Selangor, 2001), vol. 1, 395-396.

    [21] Hamid Jusoh, Islamic Law of Evidence: Sources and Its Applicability with Special Reference to the Practice in Malaysia and Pakistan (Selangor, 2001), vol. 1, 396.

    [22] Ibid, 395.

  • The Admissibility of Qarinah in Malaysia

    THE ADMISSIBILITY OF QARINAH IN MALAYSIA

    Admissibility of Qarinah in Malaysia – In the oft-cited case of Sunny Ang v Public Prosecutor [1966] 2 MLJ 195, the accused person was charged for committing the murder of his girlfriend; Jenny. Interestingly, the prosecutor had successfully proven its case, wholly based on circumstantial evidence as there was no direct evidence to prove the guilt of the accused. That particular case made history as it was the first case in Malaysia to convict a person for murder by relying solely on circumstantial evidence. Circumstantial evidence or qarinah is also recognised as a means of proof under the Islamic law of evidence. According to Ahmad Fathi Bahansi in his book; Nazariyyah Al-Ithbat, as cited in Mahmud Saedon A. Othman’s An Introduction to Islamic Law of Evidence, qarinah literally means “together, accompany or related”.

     

    An example of the recognition of qarinah in the Qur’an can be traced in Surah Yusuf, verse 18, whereby Allah says:

    They stained his shirt with false blood. He said: “Nay, but your minds have made up a tale (that may pass) with you. (For me) patience is most fitting: Against that which you assert, it is Allah (alone) whose help can be sought…”

     

    In the above-cited verse, the connection of it with the issue of qarinah can be discernible by the fact that despite the shirt being stained with “blood”, it was not torn as it should have been, if Prophet Yusuf was really devoured by wolves as falsely claimed by his brothers to Prophet Ya’qub. The condition of the shirt being intact was a qarinah to signify that Prophet Yusuf was still alive at that time, as stated by ‘Abdul Kareem Zaidan, in his work; Nizam al-Qada Fi Al-Syari’ah Al-Islamiyyah, as per cited in An Introduction to Islamic Law of Evidence.

     

    Meanwhile, the technical definition of qarinah in the Malaysian context can be found in the Syariah Court Evidence (Federal Territories) Act 1997, whereby its section 3 provides that qarinah means:

    fact connected with the other fact in any of the ways referred to in this Act”.

    The whole Chapter 2 of the Act, in fact, is dedicated for qarinah. Thus, facts to be regarded as qarinah according to the Act, can be determined by studying Chapter 2 of the Act. Nevertheless, what are listed under the Chapter are not exhaustive as when there is lacunae in the Act, the Court shall apply hukum syara’ as stated in section 130(2) of the Act.

     

    It is however undeniable, that a better understanding of this topic would be attainable by observing how the Malaysian Syariah Courts apply this concept through the decided cases. Hence, in order to know the admissibility of qarinah in Malaysia, this discussion would be divided into two categories: hudud and non-hudud cases.

     

    HUDUD CASES (with ta’zir punishment)

    Syurb al-Khamar (Consumption of Intoxicants)

    The case of Pendakwa Syarie Kelantan v. Yusundy bin Josan & Anor (1994) JH 206 would be of good reference. In this case, the two accused persons were charged for drinking intoxicants under section 25 of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code. As elaborated in Hamid Jusoh’s Islamic Law of Evidence: Sources and Its Applicability with Special Reference to the Practice in Malaysia and Pakistan, Volume 2, Chapter 2, in this case, the Court had considered the smell/ breath odour of the accused persons as qarinah for drinking liquor. There were other qarinah as well to prove the prosecution’s case which were:

    1. The bottles of liquor that were taken out were in the possession of the accused persons;
    2. The accused persons used glasses containing the liquor from the recovered bottles;
    3. The receipt of purchase of the said bottles were also in the possession of the accused.

     

    This strong circumstantial evidence was regarded as admissible by the Court to convict the accused persons for the commission of the offence. However, it is important to note that despite the actual nature of this offence being that of a hudud offence in Islam, as Malaysia is yet to enforce hudud punishment, the accused were only liable for ta’zir punishment i.e. 6 months imprisonment and 6 strokes of whipping for each accused person.

     

    Zina (Adultery)

    Pregnancy out of wedlock is a kind of qarinah that has been accepted in Malaysia to prove an offence of zina with ta’zir punishment. The legal provision that can be referred to is section 23(3) of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Federal Territory) Act 1997, whereby:

    the fact that a woman is pregnant out of wedlock as a result of sexual intercourse performed with her consent shall be prima facie evidence of the commission of an offence under subsection (2) by that woman”. Whereas, subsection (4) reads as follows: “For the purpose of subsection (3), any woman who gives birth to a fully developed child within a period of six qamariah months from the date of her marriage shall be deemed to have been pregnant out of wedlock.

    These two provisions portray that pregnancy out of wedlock is generally regarded as qarinah in proving a case of zina which is liable for the accused to be convicted with a ta’zir punishment.

     

    A local case to refer to in respect of this matter is the case of Pendakwa Mahkamah Kadi Perak v. Jaffery & Hasliza JH (1991) 105. Based on Hamid Jusoh (op. cit.), this case is about two accused persons who were charged under section 155(2) & (3) of the Perak Administration of Islamic Law Enactment 1965 due to the commission of zina for several times which subsequently led to the woman being pregnant despite having not married with the man. The Court had convicted the two accused persons for the offence of zina relying on circumstantial evidence, i.e. the pregnancy of the woman out of wedlock. And the accused persons were liable for ta’zir punishment i.e. a fine of RM 1,000 or in default, a year of imprisonment.

     

    NON-HUDUD CASE

    In a reported non-hudud case involving the verification of bequest called Nik Salma Zaidah binti Haji Wan Zaid lwn. Nik Hasnah binti Nik Din & Seorang Lagi (2002) 15 JH(II)  143 at 147, the Applicant claimed that the house that she lives in is a bequest made by her step father before he died. In deciding the case, the Court, inter alia considered the issue of an approval letter to build the house and the act of the Appellant remaining in the house for about 8 years without being disturbed, as qarinah to prove the authenticity of the bequest.

     

    CONCLUSION

    To conclude, generally, qarinah is accepted as a means of proof in both hudud and non-hudud cases in the context of the Malaysian Syariah Courts, thus far. However, its applicability needs to be construed based on the facts of each individual case, as qarinah might not be sustainable in proving a case when for instance, the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case based on qarinah, as in the case of Pendakwa Syarie lwn. Mahadi dan Noridah (1998) 12 JH(I) 55, whereby the qarinah relied upon was in the form of act i.e. “the act of accused who ran away from being arrested as well as the car being used by the accused”, as pointed out by Hamid Jusoh. Plus, as highlighted by Ahmad ‘Abdul Mun’im Al-Bahai, only qarinah that is strong would be acceptable as a basis to prove a case.

  • status agama anak bawah umur

    STATUS AGAMA ANAK BAWAH UMUR & HAK HADHANAH APABILA SALAH SEORANG IBU BAPA MEMELUK ISLAM: ADAKAH ISLAM ATAU KEKAL DENGAN AGAMA IBU BAPA KETIKA BERKAHWIN?

    Status Agama Anak Bawah Umur – Islam sentiasa mementingkan kebajikan anak bagi memastikan anak tersebut dapat membesar dan menjalani kehidupan yang sempurna seperti kanak-kanak lain. Banyak aspek yang perlu diberikan penekanan seperti kesihatan, keselamatan dan pendidikan. Oleh kerana itu, jika ibu bapa bercerai, mereka tetap perlu mengambil berat akan anak mereka kerana ini merupakan tanggungjawab mereka selagi mereka di bawah umur. Bercerai bukan bererti terputus segala hubungan dan tanggungjawab. 

    Terlebih dahulu, lebih baik jika kita melihat pandangan ulama daripada 4 mazhab berkaitan isu di atas. Ulama daripada 4 mazhab tersebut mempunyai pandangan yang berbeza mengenai isu ini. Ada yang mengatakan status agama anak bawah umur sekiranya salah seorang ibu bapa memeluk agama Islam adalah Islam. Akan tetapi, ada juga yang mengatakan sebaliknya. Sudah semestinya pandangan-pandangan yang berbeza daripada ulama ini mempunyai hujah mereka yang tersendiri. 

     

    Pandangan 4 Mazhab Berkaitan Status Agama Anak Bawah Umur Apabila Salah Seorang Ibu Bapa Memeluk Agama Islam.

    Para ulama’ dan fuqaha sudah semestinya mempunyai pandangan yang berbeza mengenai isu status agama anak bawah umur apabila salah seorang pasangan memeluk agama Islam. Hal  ini menunjukkan bahawa isu ini termasuk dalam perkara ijtihadi. Jumhur ulama’ iaitu Mazhab Hanafi, Hanbali dan Syafie berpendapat bahawa di dalam isu ini, anak-anak akan mengikut agama Islam tidak kira yang memeluk agama Islam itu ibu atau bapa. Pendapat ini adalah bersandarkan kepada hadis Nabi SAW yang bermaksud : Daripada ‘A’idz Amr Almuzani, daripada Nabi SAW bersabda : “Islam itu tinggi dan tiada yang lebih tinggi daripadanya”. 

    Berikut pula adalah pandangan ulama-ulama dari setiap mazhab berkaitan penjagaan anak bawah umur apabila salah seorang ibu bapa memeluk agama Islam.

    1. Pandangan Iman al-Imraniyy dari Mazhab Shafie: Imam al-Imraniyy (2000) menjelaskan di dalam kitabnya “al-Bayan Fi Madhhab al-Imam al-Shafie”:
      Maksudnya, “Tidak sabit hak penjagaan anak bagi orang fasik, kerana tidak ada jaminan keselamatan yang kanak-kanak itu akan membesar mengikut caranya. Sekiranya salah seorang daripada ibu bapa itu adalah beragama Islam, maka anak tersebut diberikan kepada yang beragama Islam, dan tidak sabit hak penjagaan kepada orang kafir”.

    2. Pandangan Imam Ibn Abidin dari Mazhab Hanafi:Imam Ibn Abidin menyatakan dalam kitabnya “Radd al-Muhtar ‘Ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar”: Maksudnya, “(Sabit hak penjagaan bagi ibu) iaitu ibu nasab, (walaupun) ibu itu seorang ahli kitab atau majusi atau (selepas perceraian) (kecuali sekiranya ibu itu murtad) sehinggalah dia menjadi muslimah kembali kerana dia akan ditahan (atau si ibu seorang yang jahat) yang mana kejahatannya boleh menyebabkan si anak terbiar seperti berzina, nyanyian, mencuri dan ratapan ketika kematian seperti yang dibahaskan dalam kitab “Bahr al-Ra’iq” dan kitab “Nahr al-Fa’iq”.Ibnu ‘Abidin (1992) berkata lagi: Maksudnya, “Kerana belas kasihan itu tidak berbeza dengan berbezanya agama”.

    3. Pandangan Imam al-Zarqaniyy dari Mazhab Malikiyy:Imam al-Zarqaniyy menjelaskan dalam kitabnya “Sharh al-Zarqaniyy ‘Ala Mukhtasar Sayyidi Khalil”: Maksudnya, “(Hak penjagaan bagi kanak-kanak lelaki sehingga mereka telah baligh dan hak penjagaan perempuan seperti memberi nafakah adalah bagi hak ibu) walaupun ibu itu seorang kafir”.
      Imam Malik mempunyai pandangan yang berbeza mengenai isu ini iaitu anak-anak di bawah umur akan mengikut agama Islam sekiranya yang memeluk agama Islam itu ialah bapanya. Akan tetapi, sekiranya ibu yang memeluk Islam, anak-anak tersebut tidak perlu ikut memeluk agama Islam. Hal ini kerana, mengikut Imam Malik, seorang anak dinasabkan kepada bapanya dan bukan ibu. Oleh yang demikian, anak-anak akan ikut memeluk agama Islam hanya apabila bapanya memeluk agama Islam. Jika ibunya yang memeluk agama Islam, anak-anak tidak akan mengikut agama baru ibunya iaitu Islam dan kekal dengan agama asal ketika ibu bapa mereka berkahwin.
    4. Pandangan Imam al-Buhutiyy dari Mazhab Hanbaliyy:
      Imam al-Buhutiyy  berkata dalam kitabnya “Kashshaf al-Qina’ An Matn al-Iqna”: Maksudnya, “(Tidak ada) penjagaan juga (bagi orang kafir ke atas kanak-kanak Islam). Bahkan kemudaratannya lebih besar kerana ia akan memberi fitnah daripada agamanya dan mengeluarkannya daripada agama Islam, dengan cara mengajarnya dan mendidiknya dengan kekufuran. Perkara yang demikian itu kesemuanya merupakan kemudaratan”.

    Di sini dapat kita simpulkan bahawa Mazhab Shafie dan Hanafi lebih lebih cenderung kepada pandangan bahawa di dalam isu status agama anak bawah umur selepas salah seorang ibu bapa memeluk agama Islam, anak-anak adalah mengikut agama Islam tidak kira sama ada yang memeluk agama Islam itu ibu atau bapa. Pandangan tersebut adalah berdasarkan hadis Nabi SAW:

    Daripada A’idz bin Amr Almuzani, daripada Nabi SAW bersabda : “Islam itu tinggi dan tiada yang lebih tinggi daripadanya”.

    Berkaitan dengan isu penjagaan anak atau hadhanah, Mazhab Shafie dan Hanbali juga berpendapat bahawa tiada hak penjagaan bagi orang bukan Islam. Hak penjagaan anak tersebut akan diberikan kepada yang beragama Islam. Hal ini adalah bagi memelihara keselamatan akidah anak tersebut dan menghindarinya daripada sebarang kemudharatan jika sekiranya anak tersebut diletakkan di bawah jagaan orang bukan Islam. Ibu bapa yang bukan beragama Islam tidak layak untuk mempunyai hak penjagaan anak kerana dibimbangi ibu atau bapa yang bukan beragama Islam akan mempengaruhi agama anak tersebut. Dalam erti kata lain, akidah anak yang beragama Islam tersebut mungkin akan terjejas.  

    Pandangan ulama daripada Mazhab Maliki menyatakan bahawa boleh sekiranya penjaga si anak seorang yang bukan beragama Islam. Akan tetapi menurut Wahbah al-Zuhailiy, ulama Mazhab Hanafi dan maliki memberi kebenaran kepada ibu atau bapa yang bukan beragama Islam untuk menjaga anak hanyalah sehingga anak itu mencapai umur mumayyiz. Setelah anak itu mumayyiz ataupun akidah anak itu didapati terjejas ketika di bawah jagaan ibu atau bapanya yang bukan Islam, maka anak itu hendaklah diserahkan kepada penjaganya yang Islam walaupun sebelum anak itu mencapai umur mumayyiz. 

    Selain pandangan daripada 4 mazhab iaitu Mazhab Shafie, Hanafi, Maliki dan Hanbali, terdapat juga fatwa-fatwa lain berkaitan dengan hak hadhanah dan juga status agama anak bawah umur apabila salah seorang ibu bapa memeluk agama Islam dan juga Di dalam Persidangan Penyelarasan Undang-Undang Syarak/Sivil kali Ke-19, semua ahli persidangan tersebut telah bersetuju bahawa:

    “Menasihati Kabinet supaya tidak meminda Perkara 12(4) Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Seksyen 51 Akta Membaharui Undang-Undang (Perkahwinan dan Perceraian) 1976 dipinda supaya orang yang memeluk Islam diberikan hak untuk membubarkan perkahwinan sivilnya di Mahkamah Sivil, mana-mana pasangan yang memeluk Islam yang mempunyai anak-anak yang di bawah umur 18 tahun hendaklah menjadi orang Islam selaras dengan Hukum Syarak dan hak hadhanah hendaklah diputuskan oleh Mahkamah Sivil dengan mengambil kira kebajikan dan maslahah anak.”

    Terdapat juga fatwa-fatwa kontemporari daripada ulama yang baru dikeluarkan. Antaranya adalah pandangan daripada Dr Abd al-Rahman bin Hasan al-Nafisah yang bermaksud:

    “Mudah-mudahan pandangan yang tepat -Allah lebih Mengetahui adalah apa yang disebut dalam mazhab imam Abu Hanifah dan Malik yang membenarkan hak penjagaan kepada ibu bukan Islam. Hal ini kerana athar yang ada menunjukkan bahawa tabiat seorang ibu (sama ada dia seorang Islam atau tidak) dalam perasaan kasih sayang kepada anak-anaknya dan penjagaan mereka melebihi ayah mereka. Tetapi ini tidak menafikan hak bapa pada anak-anaknya. Si ibu tidaklah melebihi kekuatan si ayah apabila si anak melepasi tahap kanak-kanak. Apabila si anak melepasi tahap kanak-kanak, dia dapat mengetahui banak perkara dan membezakannya. Sekiranya si ibu adalah muslimah, wajib si anak berada bersama si ayah untuk pendidikannya. Sekiranya si ibu bukan muslimah (dan ini asas masalah), dibimbangi selepas baligh si anak akan terbiasa dengan agamanya. Oleh itu, wajib si anak bersama si ayah”.

    Selain itu, Dr Abd al-Latif al-Fatur juga ada berkata di dalm kitabnya iaitu “Fatawa Wa Qadaya Fiqhiyyah Mu’asirah” yang membawa maksud:

    Islamnya penjaga bukanlah syarat dalam hak penjagaan kanak-kanak, kerana belas kasihan ibu biologi tidak terkesan ke atasnya dengan perbezaan agamanya (si ibu) dengan agama kanak-kanak tersebut. Ia menjadikan ibu itu lebih berhak dengan penjagaannya (kanak-kanak tersebut), kecuali jika ditakuti ke atasnya akan memberi kesan dengan penjagaannya atau kanak-kanak itu diberi makan yang haram dalam Islam, maka si ibu umpama orang yang jahat lagi tidak beramanah ke atas penjagaan si anak”.

     

    Muzakarah Jawatankuasa Fatwa Majlis Kebangsaan Bagi Hal Ehwal Ugama Islam Malaysia

    Seterusnya Muzakarah Jawatankuasa Fatwa Majlis Kebangsaan Bagi Hal Ehwal Ugama Islam Malaysia kali ke-87 memutuskan bahawa:

    Setelah meneliti keterangan, hujah-hujah dan pandangan yang dikemukakan, Muzakarah berpandangan bahawa di dalam Islam, Jumhur Ulama telah bersepakat bahawa apabila salah seorang ibu atau bapa memeluk Islam, agama anak di bawah umur juga adalah Islam dan penjagaan anak hendaklah diletakkan di bawah ibu atau bapa yang beragama Islam.

    Oleh yang demikian, Muzakarah bersetuju memutuskan bahawa apabila salah seorang pasangan (ibu atau bapa) memeluk agama Islam, status agama anak bawah umur pasangan tersebut adalah secara langsung beragama Islam.

    Muzakarah juga bersetuju memutuskan supaya Perkara 12(4) Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang memperuntukkan bahawa agama seseorang yang di bawah umur 18 tahun hendaklah ditetapkan oleh ibu atau bapa atau penjaganya tidak perlu dipinda.

    Institut Pengurusan dan Penyelidikan Fatwa Sedunia (INFAD), Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) ada membuat beberapa syor berkaitan isu ini. Seperti yang dapat kita lihat, keempat-empat mazhab fiqh mempunyai pandangan yang berbeza berkaitan isu ini. Oleh itu kita dinasihatkan agar tidak mengeluarkan kenyataan yang menyalahkan dan menyesatkan mana-mana pandangan mazhab fiqh Islam. Menurut pandangan dari segi fiqh, pandangan yang mensyaratkan bahawa penjaga si anak sama ada ibu atau bapa harus islam adalah lebih tepat demi menjaga kemaslahatan dan akidah anak tersebut.

    Perkara 11(1) Perlembagaan Persekutuan ada menyatakan peruntukan berkaitan dengan  hak kebebasan beragama bagi setiap individu di Persekutuan Malaysia. Peruntukan ini merangkumi hak untuk mengamalkan dan menganut sesuatu agama tetapi ianya tertakluk kepada 11(4). Perkara 11(4) mengehadkan dan membuat sekatan terhadap penyebaran agama bukan Islam kepada orang Islam. Penulisan ini lebih memfokuskan kepada isu pertukaran agama yang melibatkan salah seorang dari ibu bapa bukan Islam kepada Islam, manakala seorang lagi masih kekal dengan agama bukan Islam, status agama anak bawah umur dan juga isu berkaitan hak penjagaan anak. 

    Berdasarkan peruntukan undang-undang yang sedia ada iaitu Perkara  12(4) Perlembagaan Persekutuan, ia ada menyatakan bahawa agama bagi seseorang yang berada di bawah umur hendaklah ditentukan oleh ibunya atau bapanya atau penjaganya. Peruntukan ini sekaligus menyatakan bahawa persetujuan daripada salah satu pihak sahaja sudah mencukupi bagi menentukan agama seorang kanak-kanak yang di bawah umur. Hal ini adalah kerana, di dalam Perkara 12(4), perkataan yang digunakan adalah “parent or guardian” dan bukannya “parents or guardian” yang bermaksud ibu atau bapa atau penjaga. Bukannya ibu dan bapa dan penjaga. 

    Seterusnya berdasarkan Seksyen 95 Akta Pentadbiran Undang-Undang Islam (Wilayah-Wilayah Persekutuan) 1993 memperuntukkan bahawa seseorang yang tidak beragama Islam boleh masuk Islam jika dia sempurna akal dan mencapai umur lapan belas tahun; atau jika dia belum mencapai umur lapan belas tahun, ibu atau bapa atau penjaganya mengizinkan kemasukannya. Peruntukan di bawah akta ini juga menyatakan bahawa sudah memadai jika keizinan untuk memasuki agama Islam bagi seseorang yang berada di bawah umur diberi oleh salah seorang daripada tiga individu yang disebutkan di atas. Tidak perlu mendapat keizinan ketiga-tiganya sekali. 

     

    Isu Berbangkit Serta Hak Hadhanah

    Isu status agama anak bawah umur setelah ibu atau bapa memeluk agama islam menjadi perdebatan dalam kalangan masyarakat. Hal ini tidak boleh dipandang remeh kerana ianya merupakan satu isu yang berkaitan dengan akidah dan akidah juga merupakan sesuatu asas penting dalam kehidupan setiap muslim. Agama Islam mengajar kita untuk sentiasa bertolak-ansur. Akan tetapi perlu diingatkan bahawa tiada tolak ansur di dalam sesetengah perkara contohnya perkara yang melibatkan akidah seseorang muslim itu sendiri. 

    Masyarakat kita sendiri juga sering berselisih pendapat mengenai isu status agama anak bawah umur apabila salah seorang ibu bapa mereka memeluk Islam. Isu ini menjadi perhatian masyarakat oleh kerana ianya melibatkan dua kaum dan agama yang berbeza iaitu Islam dan bukan Islam. Sudah semestinya pihak masing-masing ingin mempertahankan hak mereka. Tidak salah sekiranya mereka ingin pertahankan hak akan tetapi perlu diingatkan bahawa kita mempunyai undang-undang yang melindungi hak agama masing- masing. 

    Orang Islam tertakluk di bawah undang-undang syariah manakala orang bukan Islam tertakluk di bawah undang-undang sivil. Adalah tidak wajar sekiranya masyarakat atau sesiapa sahaja pertahankan sesuatu hak tanpa melihat kepada peruntukan undang-undang sedia ada. Di dalam masalah ini, sebolehnya kita mahu kedua-dua belah pihak mendapat keadilan yang sewajarnya. Oleh itu, hendaklah kita berbalik kepada peruntukan undang-undang kedua dua belah pihak bagi mendapatkan pertimbangan yang baik. Dalam kebanyakan kes, biasanya akan ada pertembungan di antara dua bidang kuasa iaitu di antara bidang kuasa mahkamah syariah dengan mahkamah sivil. 

    Terdapat banyak isu yang akan timbul selepas berlakunya perceraian misalnya tuntutan nafkah iddah, nafkah anak, mutaah, harta sepencarian dan yang sering menjadi rebutan pasangan yang sudah bercerai adalah hadhanah. Tuntutan hadhanah atau hak jagaan anak yang akan menjadi lebih sukar sekiranya ia melibatkan pasangan Islam dan bukan Islam. Hal ini terjadi apabila salah seorang pasangan bukan Islam tersebut memeluk agama islam dan menuntut hak jagaan anak.

    Pelbagai persoalan akan timbul iaitu persoalan tentang siapa yang lebih berhak menjaga anak tersebut dan juga bagaimana dengan status anak tersebut. Adakah anak tersebut akan kekal dengan agama asal ibu bapanya ketika berkahwin atau akan ikut menganut agama Islam dan siapa yang berhak terhadap hak penjagaan anak tersebut?

    Antara kes-kes yang berkaitan dengan isu di atas adalah kes Subashini Rajasingam Lawan Saravanan Thangathoray. Suami iaitu Saravanan telah memeluk agama Islam dan dia juga turut mengislamkan anak sulungnya yang pada ketika itu berusia 4 tahun. Isterinya, Subashini, membantah tindakan Saravanan yang telah mengislamkan anak lelakinya kerana tidak mendapatkan persetujuannya terlebih dahulu. 

    Mahkamah Persekutuan memutuskan bahawa ayah kepada kanak-kanak tersebut berkuasa untuk mengislamkan anaknya berdasarkan Perkara 12(4) Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang menyatakan bahawa agama seseorang yang berada di bawah umur lapan belas tahun hendaklah ditentukan oleh ibu atau bapa atau penjaganya. 

    Oleh disebabkan itu,dalam kes ini, secara tidak langsung ayah tersebut berhak untuk mengislamkan anaknya walaupun tanpa persetujuan daripada ibu anak tersebut. 

    Kes seterusnya ini berlainan sedikit daripada kes di atas tetapi turut mendapat perhatian masyarakat iaitu kes Viran a/l Nagapan v Deepa a/p Subramaniam.

    Di dalam kes ini, perayu telah memeluk Islam pada tahun 2012 dan telah mendaftarkan pemelukan Islam kedua-dua anaknya yang merupakan hasil daripada perkahwinan sivilnya dengan responden. Perayu juga telah memohon  pembubaran perkahwinan sivilnya dengan responden di Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah Seremban.

    Mahkamah kemudiannya memberikan perintah pembubaran perkahwinan tersebut dan memberikan hak jagaan dua orang anak kepada perayu manakala responden diberikan hak untuk melawat dan akses ke atas anak tersebut. Responden pula memfailkan petisyen untuk perceraian di mahkamah tinggi sivil seremban dan juga perintah hak jagaan anak. Mahkamah Tinggi Sivil Seremban kemudiannya membubarkan perkahwinan tersebut dan responden diberikan hak jagaan penuh ke atas dua orang anaknya itu. Terdapat campur tangan dari pihak IGP dan juga AG di dalam kes ini . pertembungan di antara perintah daripada Mahkamah Syariah dan Sivil telah menimbulkan isu-isu yang melibatkan kepentingan awam. 

    Dalam mengambil kira sama ada perintah hak penjagaan Mahkamah Tinggi sepertimana disahkan oleh Mahkamah Rayuan patut kekalkan ia menjadi perlu untuk mengambil kira kebajikan kanak-kanak itu, yang merupakan pertimbangan paling utama dalam menentukan hak penjagaan kanak-kanak itu. Andaian bahawa seorang kanak-kanak muda lebih elok bersama ibunya dan bukan bapanya merupakan andaian yang boleh dipatahkan dan bahawa andaian itu sendiri tidak semestinya suatu faktor penentu. Ia perlu diimbangi bersama faktor-faktor lain yang relevan dan pertimbangan yang pertama dan penting sepatutnya kebajikan kanak-kanak.

    Bagi tujuan menjadikan kebajikan anak-anak suatu yang paling utama ia adalah perlu untuk mengambil kira perkara-perkara seperti kelakuan pihak-pihak, status kewangan dan sosial mereka, jantina dan umur kanak-kanak itu, hasratnya setakat mana ia boleh ditentukan ber-gantung kepada umut kanak-kanak, laporan sulit pegawai kebajikan sosial dan sama ada dalam jangka panjang ia lebih kepada kepentingan, kebajikan dan kegembiraan kanak-kanak itu untuk bersama ibu atau bapa.

    Apabila anak lelaki dan anak perempuan disoal secara rahsia, ia didapati bahawa anak lelaki itu memilih untuk tinggal dengan bapanya dan tidak berhasrat untuk tinggal dengan ibunya, manakala anak perempuan itu telah menyatakan dia ingin tinggal dengan ibunya. Ia jelas bahawa kedua-dua kanak-kanak itu pasti dengan pilihan mereka, telah selesa dan dijaga dengan baik. Oleh itu, dengan mengambil kira kebajikan kanak-kanak tersebut ia menjadi jelas bahawa ia tidak perlu untuk mengganggu urusan sekarang. Dalam keadaan itu, perintah hak penjagaan yang diberikan oleh Mahkamah Tinggi patut diubah agar hak penjagaan anak perempuan kekal dengan responden manakala hak penjagaan anak lelaki berpindah kepada perayu. 

    Dua kes yang telah disebutkan di atas mempunyai sedikit perbezaan. Di dalam kes Viran a/l Nagapan v Deepa a/p Subramaniam, keputusan mahkamah didapati lebih terbuka dan luas dalam membuat keputusan yang telah memberikan hak jagaan anak lelaki kepada perayu dan juga hak jagaan anak perempuan kepada responden. Ianya bukan sahaja tertumpu kepada isu pengislaman kanak-kanak itu sahaja akan tetapi sudut kebajikan kanak-kanak tersebut perlu di ambil kira sebagai faktor sampingan.

    Pertikaian yang timbul di dalam isu ini berkemungkinan besar disebabkan oleh 2 perkara:

    1. Mahkamah Syariah mempunyai bidang kuasa untuk memutuskan sesuatu hak penjagaan anak.
    2. Mahkamah Syariah tidak mempunyai bidang kuasa ke atas individu yang bukan beragama Islam. 

    Keputusan yang telah dibuat oleh hakim-hakim di dalam kes di atas adalah berdasarkan pentafsiran dan kepentingan anak itu. Sekiranya anak itu selesa tinggal dengan ibunya maka mahkamah akan beri hak penjagaan kepada ibunya, begitu juga sebaliknya.

    Bagi mengatasi isu ini, beberapa pindaan terhadap Akta Membaharui Undang-undang (Perkahwinan dan Perceraian) 1976 harus dilakukan bagi mengelakkan timbul pertikaian yang lebih teruk di masa hadapan. Kita sudahpun berhadapan dengan beberapa kes yang menyebabkan pertembungan di antara dua bidang kuasa berbeza yang akhirnya menimbulkan kekecohan dan juga kekeliruan dalam kalangan masyarakat. Pertembungan di antara dua bidang kuasa ini jika tidak diselesaikan akan menimbulkan pelbagai masalah berkenaan isu yang sama.

    Di dalam kedua-dua kes yang disebutkan di atas, masing-masing ingin mempertahankan bidang kuasa mereka iaitu di antara Mahkamah Syariah dan Mahkamah Sivil terhadap isu tersebut. Sekiranya, keputusan Mahkamah Syariah diterima, pihak satu lagi akan menganggap bahawa mereka didiskriminasikan ataupun haknya mereka dinafikan kerana mereka tidak boleh mendengar perbicaraan yang dijalankan di Mahkamah Syariah. Begitu juga sebaliknya jika keputusan mahkamah sivil yang diguna pakai di dalam isu ini.

    Penghakiman di dalam kes Indira Gandhi a/p Mutho iaitu kes yang terbaru berkaitan dengan isu di atas adalah berbeza berbanding kes-kes yang sebelumnya. Ada beberapa isu berbangkit yang mendapat perhatian iaitu berkaitan dengan pendaftaran penukaran agama kepada agama Islam dan juga keizinan untuk memeluk agama islam dari ibu atau bapa atau penjaga. 

    Berkaitan dengan isu pertama, persoalan yang timbul adalah:

    • Adakah Pendaftar Mualaf atau wakilnya boleh mendaftarkan penukaran agama Islam anak-anak pihak tersebut. 

    Mahkamah Persekutuan menyatakan bahawa had kuasa bagi Pendaftar Mualaf telah ditentukan di dalam Enakmen Pentadbiran Agama Islam (Perak) 2004.

    Seksyen 96(1) mensyaratkan kehendak-kehendak bagi pemelukan agama Islam seseorang iaitu:

    • (a) orang itu mestilah mengucapkan dua kalimah Syahadah dalam bahasa Arab secara yang semunasabahnya jelas;
    • pada masa dia mengucap dua kalimah Syahadah itu, orang itu mestilah sedar bahawa kalimah itu bermakna “Aku naik saksi bahawa tiada Tuhan melainkan Allah dan aku naik saksi bahawa Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. ialah Pesuruh Allah”; dan
    • pengucapan itu mestilah dibuat dengan kerelaan hati orang itu sendiri.

    Seksyen 106(b) pula mensyaratkan keupayaan untuk memeluk agama Islam bagi kanak-kanak yang belum mencapai umur lapan belas tahun, ibu atau bapa atau penjaganya mengizinkan secara bertulis pemelukan agama Islam olehnya.

    Di dalam kes ini, dapat dilihat bahawa kedua-dua keperluan seksyen tersebut tidak dipenuhi. Oleh itu, Mahkamah Persekutuan memutuskan bahawa pengeluaran sijil perakuan memeluk agama Islam tersebut adalah tidak sah. Mahkamah Persekutuan menekankan bahawa ia tidak membincangkan mengenai fakta pemelukan agama Islam tetapi kesahan perakuan dan pendaftaran.

    Isu kedua adalah: 

    • Izin memeluk agama Islam dari ibu atau bapa atau penjaga

    Bagi isu kedua ini, Mahkamah hendaklah memutuskan sama ada kedua-dua ibu bapa perlu memberikan izin sebelum anak-anak yang lahir dalam perkahwinan sivil memeluk agama Islam. Perkara 12 (4) Perlembagaan Persekutuan menyatakan bahawa, bagi maksud hak berkenaan pendidikan agama seseorang yang di bawah umur lapan belas tahun hendaklah ditetapkan oleh ibu atau bapanya atau penjaganya.

    Tafsiran terhadap hak-hak asasi dalam Perlembagan Persekutuan tidak boleh di ambil secara literal. Mahkamah berpendapat bahawa isu penukaran agama adalah sebuah isu yang besar yang boleh memberikan impak terhadap kanak-kanak tersebut. Justeru, tindakan membenarkan kanak-kanak menukar agama tanpa kebenaran kedua-dua ibu dan bapa akan menimbulkan isu dan berlawanan dengan kepentingan yang terbaik bagi anak.

    Mahkamah telah mengambil pendekatan secara menyeluruh yang membawa maksud perlunya keizinan dari kedua ibu dan bapa dengan merujuk kepada Seksyen 5 Akta Penjagaan Budak 1961 yang memperuntukkan bahawa ibu hendalaklah mempunyai hak dan autoriti yang sama sebagaimana yang dibenarkan oleh undang-undang kepada bapa. Hak bagi kedua-dua mereka terhadap penjagaan anak hendaklah sama. 

    Mahkamah Persekutuan memutuskan bahawa pasangan yang memeluk Islam dan pasangannya yang bukan Islam mesti memberi persetujuan bagi penukaran agama anak bawah umur kepada Islam.

    Hakim Zulkefli yang mengetuai panel itu berkata keputusan tersebut dicapai sebulat suara walaupun penukaran agama adalah isu yang menimbulkan perbalahan, namun keputusan mahkamah tidak dipengaruhi oleh kepercayaan agama.

    Persetujuan daripada Indira Gandhi dan bekas suaminya Muhammad Riduan Abdullah, (dahulu dikenali sebagi K. Pathmanathan) adalah diperlukan sebelum sijil penukaran agama kepada Islam dapat dikeluarkan kepada ketiga-tiga anak mereka. Pendekatan membenarkan penukaran agama anak atas persetujuan hanya satu pihak akan menimbulkan persoalan yang sukar.

    Pertimbangan utama mahkamah ialah untuk melindungi kebajikan kanak-kanak. Mahkamah tidak membuat penghakiman berdasarkan prinsip kepercayaan mana-mana pasangan.

  • li'an

    LI’AN: HUSBANDS, BEWARE!

    LI’AN: INTRODUCTION – In Islam, the relationship between a man and a woman can be legalised by way of a valid marriage solemnisation in accordance with the hukum syara’. With marriage, a household is hoped to be showered with love, affection and harmony between its members. The warmth and tranquillity that are expected to be gained from a husband-wife relationship could be reflected by the verse in the Qur’an which equates a wife as a garment/ clothing for the husband, and vice versa. Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 187:

    هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَهُنَّ ۗ

    Translation by Muhsin Khan:They are Libas [i.e. body cover, or screen, or Sakan, (i.e. you enjoy the pleasure of living with her – as in Verse 7:189) Tafsir At-Tabari], for you and you are the same for them.”

    Ironically, the reality that we have to swallow about marriage is just like what Sylvester Stallone had said in a film entitled Rocky Balboa that “the world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. This saying applies similarly in a marriage life. Some marriages survive a long-lasting happiness, whilst some people ended up having a wrecked marriage whereby the marriage eventually dissolves through a divorce. Hence, in this article we would discover a type of oath namely; li’an which could dissolve a marriage solemnisation.

     

    THE DEFINITION OF LI’AN

    Linguistically, li’an derives from the Arabic word; la’ana which means “to curse” or “to condemn” as stated in Kamus Arab-Indonesia Al-Munawwir by Ahmad Wirson Munawwir (1997). Whereas, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam defines it as: mutual repudiation. It is a mutual one in the sense that when a husband accuses his wife of committing adultery (zina) without providing four credible witnesses, by following the instructions laid down in Surah An-Nur, verses 6-7, the wife may then deny the allegation by repudiating in the same manner. The curse (la’nat) takes place at the fifth oath, whereby the wrath of Allah will fall on them if they are lying.

     

    AUTHORITIES FROM THE QUR’AN AND HADITH ON LI’AN

    Li’an is not a new creation of men but has long been recognised and inscribed in the Holy Qur’an.

    In Surah Al-An’am, verse 6-7, Allah says:

    And those who accuse their wives [of adultery] and have no witnesses except themselves – then the witness of one of them [shall be] four testimonies [swearing] by Allah that indeed, he is of the truthful. And the fifth [oath will be] that the curse of Allah be upon him if he should be among the liars.

    And in a hadith reported in Sahih Muslim, it was narrated that:

    Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) saying to the invokers of curse: Your account is with Allah. One of you must be a liar. You have now no right over this woman. He said: Messenger of Allah, what about my wealth (dower that I paid her at the time of marriage)? He said: You have no claim to wealth. If you tell the truth, it (dower) is the recompense for your having had the right to intercourse with her, and if you tell a lie against her, it is still more remote from you than she is...”

     

    THE OCCURRENCES OF LI’AN

    Abd al-Fattah Ibrahim in his book entitled Ahkam al-Usrah fi al-Shari’ah al-Islamiah explains that li’an can take place in two occurrences:

    1. When a husband alleges his wife of committing zina (adultery) but could not bring forth four witnesses.
    2. When a husband denies the nasab of the child borne by the wife due to uncertainty in the process of the child delivery.

     

    PILLARS (ARKAN) AND CONDITIONS OF LI’AN

    Meanwhile, Basri Ibrahim in his book called Pemantapan Sistem Kekeluargaan, page 209, lists out the pillars of li’an into four, namely:

    1. The one who pronounces the li’an (the husband):
      The husband must be the legitimate husband of the wife who has been pronounced li’an upon, and the husband must be of sound mind.
    2. The person who has been pronounced li’an upon (the wife):
      The wife must be the legitimate wife of the husband (who pronounces the li’an) and of sound mind.
    3. The cause (sabab) of li’an:
      The cause of li’an as discussed above is either due to the denial of nasab of the child borne by the wife or accusing/alleging a wife of committing zina.
    4. The pronouncement (lafaz) of li’an:
      The pronouncement of li’an must be in the correct order/sequence. The majority of the scholars (ulama’) are of the view that li’an would be valid if pronounced in the Arabic language or even in other languages. Nevertheless, according to the Hanbali madzhab, any husband and wife who can speak Arabic should pronounce li’an in Arabic as illustrated in the Qur’an.

     

    THE CONDITIONS OF LI’AN

    On the other hand, the conditions of li’an as highlighted by Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Negeri Kelantan on its online portal are:

    1. The qazaf (the allegation of adultery by the husband towards the wife) must precede the li’an.
    2. The li’an of the husband is followed by the li’an of the wife.
    3. Both of the husband and wife must pronounce the words of li’an.  This is because the pronouncement of li’an is elucidated clearly in the Qur’an and must be pronounced accordingly.
    4. All the five oaths/swears of li’an must be pronounced successively, one after another (mu’allat). 
    5. The Judge must advice the parties not to tell lies whilst pronouncing li’an. 

    According to the above portal, all of the above conditions must be fulfilled for a li’an to be valid.

     

    THE DURATION OF THE DENIAL OF PATERNITY (NASAB)

    Muslim scholars have formed different opinions on the duration of the denial of paternity or in other words, for how long can a husband deny the paternity of the child borne by his wife? In a book entitled Pemantapan Sistem Kekeluargaan written by Basri Ibrahim, the majority of the Muslim scholars (jumhhur fuqaha’) opine that a husband cannot deny his paternity upon a child borne by his wife, after his wife gave birth to/delivered the child.

    On the other hand, according to the writer, the Shafi’i madzhab permits the denial of paternity of a child to be done throughout the wife’s pregnancy until the child is born. Whereas, the scholars of the Hanafi madzhab are of the view that the denial of paternity should be made abruptly as soon as the child is born or during the process of delivery, for the li’an to be valid. In contrast, if the li’an is made after that, the li’an would not be valid. The justification for the view is that the silence of the husband before this connotes that the husband is pleased (redha) with the child. 

    Meanwhile, the Maliki madzhab holds the same view as the Hanafi School, but with two extra conditions attached. Firstly, the husband has not consummated the wife within a period which could cause the wife to be pregnant.  Secondly, the denial of paternity must be done before the birth of the child. If the husband remains silent until the birth of the child, even after one day, the li’an of the husband will not be valid, and the husband will be imposed with a hadd punishment for qazaf due to alleging the wife of committing adultery.

     

    THE CONSEQUENCES OF LI’AN

    Now, we have come to the penultimate part of the discussion on li’an, whereby we would explore the effect(s) of the pronouncement of li’an that both husbands and wives must know before they even think of pronouncing li’an. Wahbah al-Zuhaily in his kitab entitled Al-Fiqh al-Islami wa Adillatuh explains the consequences of li’an as follows:

    1. The hadd punishment for qazaf upon the husband will lapse and the same applies to the wife, whereby the hadd punishment for zina would lapse as well once li’an is made by both parties. 
    2.   It is forbidden for the husband and wife to resume conjugal relation even prior to the faraq   (judicial separation) decreed by the Judge.
    3. The parties should be separated (faraq).
    4. Li’an is a type of oath which would prohibit the parties who pronounced it from reconciling the marriage forever (haram mu’abbad).
    5. If the li’an is made to deny the nasab of the child borne by the wife, the husband is not obligated to the wife and the child as there is no link of lineage intertwined between them (the husband and the child).

     

    CONCLUSION

    In conclusion, li’an shows that apart from the pronouncement of talaq, a marriage can be dissolved when a marriage couple pronounce li’an towards each other, provided that all of the conditions and pillars of li’an (as discussed above) are fulfilled. The pronouncement of li’an should not be treated as a jest, as the wrath or curse of Allah would befall upon those who are not being truthful whilst pronouncing li’an. 

    Looking at the Malaysian context particularly in the State of Selangor, li’an is covered under Section 51 of the Islamic Family Law (State of Selangor) Enactment 2003, whereby the provision briefly states the consequences of li’an. The Section reads: 

    Where the parties to a marriage have taken oath by way of li’an according to Hukum Syarak before a Syarie Judge, upon judgment, the Syarie Judge shall order them to be farak and be separated and to live apart forever.

    From the above provision, similar to what have been discussed above, li’an would result in the parties to the marriage to be judicially separated (faraq) forever as li’an causes a marriage to be haram mu’abbad.

    Meanwhile, under Section 36 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Enactment 1995, a man who alleges his wife of committing adultery without bringing forth four witnesses, and refuses to pronounce li’an is said to have committed qazaf, and would be liable for “a fine not exceeding five thousand ringgitor for “imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to both.”

    The punishment for qazaf as prescribed in Surah An-Nur, verse 4 which amounts to 80 lashes can only be duly imposed if the proposal to implement hudud law in Malaysia becomes a success. Wallahu a’lam. 

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