KADUNA, Nigeria \u2014 Renowned Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has called on Islamic judges and clerics to uphold the rights of women suffering domestic abuse by granting them divorce without requiring compensation, describing such demands as unjust and contrary to Islamic teachings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking during his weekly Tafsir session at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna, Gumi addressed the topic, \u201cHow Wives in Islam Can Also Divorce Their Cruel Husbands Without Compensation.\u201d He cited classical Maliki jurisprudence and verses from the Qur\u2019an to support his position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA husband can simply utter the words and end a marriage, but when a woman seeks freedom from an abusive man, she is made to suffer further by being told to pay compensation,\u201d Gumi said. \u201cThat is injustice, and Islam stands firmly against oppression.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He condemned the rising cases of domestic violence and criticized husbands who subject their wives to physical and emotional abuse while refusing to release them unless they pay through khul\u2019 (compensatory divorce). \u201cWhen a husband insults, humiliates, or beats his wife, he forfeits the right to demand compensation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gumi urged Islamic judges (Qadis) to act with courage and fairness, emphasizing that it is their duty to dissolve abusive marriages without delay. \u201cWhen a woman brings forward her case, the judge should be her knight in shining armour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His remarks have sparked a wave of reactions across Nigeria\u2019s Muslim communities. Women\u2019s rights advocates welcomed the statement, calling it a bold and necessary intervention. \u201cThis is a powerful message from a respected scholar. It gives hope to many women who feel trapped,\u201d said a Kaduna-based activist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Islamic scholars from various schools of thought have weighed in, with many affirming Gumi\u2019s interpretation. Scholars from the Maliki and Hanafi traditions noted that Islamic jurisprudence allows for judicial divorce (faskh) in cases of harm, abuse, or neglect. \u201cIslam does not require a woman to pay for her freedom when her dignity is being violated,\u201d said a Kano-based cleric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others emphasized that the Qur\u2019an and Hadith consistently promote justice, mercy, and protection of the vulnerable. \u201cThe Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never tolerated cruelty in marriage. Judges must reflect that spirit in their rulings,\u201d said an imam from Lagos. While some conservative voices urged caution in applying blanket rulings, the broader consensus supported Gumi\u2019s call for reform and compassion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gumi concluded by reminding clerics and communities that Islam promotes mercy, dignity, and mutual respect in marriage \u2014 and where these are absent, either partner has the divine right to walk away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KADUNA, Nigeria \u2014 Renowned Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has called on Islamic judges and clerics to uphold the rights of women suffering domestic abuse by granting them divorce without requiring compensation, describing such demands as unjust and contrary to Islamic teachings. Speaking during his weekly Tafsir session at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":22388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-naija-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Sheikh-Ahmad-Gumi.jpg?fit=750%2C420&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22387"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22389,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22387\/revisions\/22389"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}