A fresh round of debate could spark questioning the right of Muslim women performing as Quazis as Islamic tradition allows only men to perform as Quazi in nikah ceremonies. However, the unconventional incident occurred in Lucknow on Tuesday perhaps has ample ammunitions to strike minds of Muslim lawmakers to mull that time has come to change some old traditions.
The cut-and-dried marriage was as simple as of any common people when bride named Naish Hasan- a founder member of a social organisation Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) married with groom Imran Ali- a PhD scholar. But what was unusual was the performing of their nikah by a Muslim woman.
Apart from a woman performing as Qazi, the other incident simultaneously took place in Lucknow which turned the marriage into a trendsetter. The matrimonial occasion became witness of standing of Shia and Sunni on the same platform- while Dr. Hammed who conducted the nikah was a Shia, the bride and the groom was Sunni. Besides, the four witnesses to the wedding were women.
The nikah was performed according to the model nikahanama framed by the BMMA recently at New Delhi after a long discussion of two years.
“According to the Shariat, anyone who is well versed in the Quran and is a scholar of Arabic and Persian too can perform the nikah. No degree or any other qualification is required to perform the nikah,” said Naaz Raza, the state coordinator of BMMA in her justification to the matrimonial ceremony conducted by a woman. “And our nikahnama gives rights to both the Shia and the Sunni women,” she adds.
Both the bride and the groom- two eminent social activists- working for the rights of Muslim women did commendable job when both not only worked theoretically but set a precedent by adopting the principle into practical life.
“I always wanted a wedding which did follow the proper guidelines of Islam and the Shariat but gave equal rights to Muslim women. The model nikahnama has been supporting Muslim women by giving them rights and I wanted my wedding to be according to it,” said Naish.
The nikah and the related path breaking incident amid male dominating Muslim society could face criticism in the upcoming days as some conservative minded maulvis and moolah could raise question over the credibility of women conduction role of Quazis.
However for anyone, in its attempt to questioning the role of women as Qazi in the backdrop of Shariat, it would be a hard nut to crack to stand before Dr. Sayeda Hamid, who is a member of the Union Planning Commission and an expert on Islamic studies.
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