Islam versus Boko Haram and Forced Marriages

By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 8 May 2023 Hauwa Maltha Was Forced To Marry Three Militants In The Next Nine Years Main Points · Hauwa Maltha, who was forced to marry three militants linked to Boko Haram, has been freed by the military after being kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014. · Boko Haram's actions conflict with Islamic values. · Islam prohibits forcing a woman to marry against her choice. · Boko Haram is actively pursuing an anti-Islamic agenda. ------ The women with their children at an army base in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Photograph: Jossy Ola/AP ----- Hauwa Maltha, one of the two girls from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok who were kidnapped, was just freed by the military on May 4. She disclosed that after being kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014, she was forced to marry three militants in the next nine years. Hauwa delightedly discussed her rescue with the newsmen. Boko Haram and Its Background Boko Haram, which means “Western education is forbidden”. The word Boko is a holdover from the colonial English word for book. The Nigeria-based terrorist organisation Boko Haram aims to destroy the current government and install a self-proclaimed “Islamic state” in its stead. Since the latter part of the 1990s, it has existed, but it experienced setbacks in July 2009 when battles with Nigerian government troops resulted in the deaths of hundreds of its members, including former head Muhammad Yusuf. In a video released in July 2010, Abubakar Shekau, a former Boko Haram second-in-command, pledged a commitment to fight Western influences in Nigeria. Later that month, he made a second declaration endorsing Al-Qaida and threatening the US. He has led the group to use more IEDs, vehicle-borne IEDs (VBIEDs), and female suicide strikes against a variety of targets, demonstrating the group's growing operational prowess. In June 2011, the group unveiled its first VBIED. Boko Haram's capabilities grew in 2014 as a result of its attacks against Muslims, Christians, security personnel, the media, educational institutions, and politicians. It raised its prominence internationally in 2015 by making a public declaration of allegiance to ISIL and carrying out suicide bombings in N'Djamena, Chad. International condemnation of Boko Haram's crimes in April 2014, which included the abduction of 276 schoolgirls, led to a regional CT offensive. Boko Haram, however, has persisted, carrying out attacks in neighbouring countries and underscoring its danger to Western and regional interests. Boko Haram vs. Islam Students and innocent bystanders have been the victims of terror attacks and acts of torture carried out by Boko Haram. Islam, like other religions, considers it wicked to harm a fellow citizen or block a student's education. The problem with Boko Haram and other groups like it is that they disobey all social rules. The actions of Boko Haram are in conflict with the ideas of mercy and grace as well as the human values ingrained in Islam. Islam versus Boko Haram and Forced Marriages Forced marriages, such as the one that occurred with Hauwa Maltha, are in direct opposition to Islamic beliefs and principles. Boko Haram wants to impose Islamic law on Nigeria. However, neither Islamic law nor Islamic Sharia support forced marriages. In order to stress that Boko Haram has anti-Islamic objectives, I'm repeating a piece I wrote about forced marriages in the context of the Taliban two years ago because it is still relevant in the context of Boko Haram. Forced marriages are unequivocally prohibited and invalid in Islam. Because the consent of a woman who is to be married is a prerequisite for the validity of the marriage, it is only fair that she chooses her future husband. Nikah [marriage] is more than just a social connection between two people, a personal desire, a natural longing, or a private affair. It is a fundamental pillar of the sustenance of human society and possesses a special significance in Islam, as evidenced by the fact that every divine rule from the time of Hazrat Adam [peace be upon him] to the divine law of the last Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] has recognized it. Nikah in Islam requires that the couple lead their life happily, respecting the rights of each other. This is possible only when their marriage takes place with their mutual consent. Therefore Islam has imposed some conditions and commands concerning a successful and valid Nikah. One of the conditions for the validity of Nikah in Islam is mutual consent. Marriage in Islam can’t be valid without the consent of the woman who is to be married. Whether she is a virgin or has been married before, her approval is required before her parent or guardian can act on her behalf in any marriage contract Forcing a woman to marry against her choice is forbidden in Islam and thus the marriage done by force is not valid in Islam. A woman once complained to the Prophet (peace be upon him) about her father marrying her to his nephew without her permission. Her father, she said, intended to improve his reputation by marrying her. The marriage was cancelled by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). “Now that I am free, I freely consent to this marriage,” the woman later told the Prophet (peace be upon him), “I only wanted it to be known that males have no say over women in their marriages.” Imam Bukhari narrated this event in his compilation of Hadiths [Sahih Bukhari] under the chapter “If a man marries his daughter notwithstanding her opposition, the marriage is null and void”. The full hadith is as follows; Khansa bint [the daughter of] Khidam Al-Ansariya narrated that her father married her [without obtaining her permission, to someone] when she was a widow [and an adult] and she disliked that marriage. So, she came to Allah’s Messenger [peace be upon him] and he declared that marriage invalid. (Sahih Bukhari, 5138, Book 67, Hadith 74/ Also in other books of Ahadith such as Abu Dawud 2101, Nasa’i 3268, Ibn Majah 1873, Darimi 2192, Musnad Ahmad 6-328, Mishkatul Masabih 3128) First, get women’s consent and then marry them to men. This has been emphasized as a condition for the validity of marriage in numerous Ahadith [plural of hadith]. It is narrated by Hazrat Abu Hurayrah [may Allah be pleased with him] that Allah’s Messenger [peace be upon him] said, “A woman who has no husband [Ayyim] must not be married until she is consulted, and a virgin must not be married except after her permission”. They [the companions/Sahaba] asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how can we know her permission”? He said, “Her silence [indicates her permission]”. [Sahih Bukhari 6968, Sahih Muslim 64-1419, Tirmidhi 1109, Abu Dawud 2092, Nasa’i 5611, Ibn Majah 1871, Musnad Ahmad 2-250, Darimi 2186] Ayyim mentioned in the Arabic version of the aforementioned hadith means a lady without a husband. This could refer to a divorced woman or a widow. Because such a lady is generally less bashful, the techniques for obtaining her consent differ. She will either make a request or offer a clear hint that she wishes to marry someone. On contrary to the older woman, the virgin is generally shy, yet when questioned, she will respond with silence rather than an audible response. As a result, her silence in this circumstance is interpreted as approval. The Hanafis base this hadith to state that the marriage of an adult virgin [Bakirah Balighah] is not valid except after her permission. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Understanding Talibani Shariah: Is Forced Marriage or Nikah without a Woman’s Consent Valid in Islam? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is reported by Hazrat Ibn Abbas that Allah’s Messenger [peace be upon him] said, “The Ayyim [meaning a divorced, or widow, adult and sane] has a greater right [about the marriage of herself] than her guardian. A virgin [who is an adult] must be asked for permission about herself [i.e. about her marriage]. Her permission is her silence”. [Sahih Muslim 2-1036] It has become clear from the above discussion that in Islam the consent of both the bride and groom is required for the Nikah [marriage] to be legal and valid. As for the right of consent for men to marry women, this can be derived from the following Quranic verse which reads: “Marry the women whom you like” (4:3) Both the boy and the girl must consent in the presence of two witnesses for the Nikah [marriage] to be legitimate in exchange for the Mehar [a necessary payment of a sum of money as a gift given as a token of respect to the wife]. It is also evident that no one in Islam has the right to force a girl to marry him; neither Shariah nor modern-day laws permit it. If anyone tries to do so, a complaint must be filed immediately with the appropriate authorities so that the girl can be freed from tyranny. The discussion above makes clear that Boko Haram is utterly opposed to Islam and that it is attempting to discredit Islam in the eyes of the international community. It wouldn't be exaggerating to say that this terrorist organisation is actively pursuing anti-Islamic agenda. ------- A regular columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a classical Islamic scholar with a Sufi background and an English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. URL: https://newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/boko-haram-forced-marriages-/d/129742 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism