The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has ruled that the first wife’s right to annul her marriage if her husband remarries without her permission is un-Islamic. The decision was made during a meeting held on Wednesday, chaired by Dr. Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi.
During the session, council members reviewed a total of 19 agenda items. The members stated that any judicial ruling allowing a first wife to dissolve her marriage under such circumstances contradicts Islamic teachings.
It was also discussed that premarital testing for thalassemia or other contagious diseases could be included in the Nikahnama (marriage contract) as an optional provision. However, the final decision to marry will remain with both parties under Islamic law.
The Council of Islamic Ideology invited four experts from the Sindh Institute of Child and Neonatology to present details regarding the establishment of a human milk bank. The experts answered 33 questions raised by the members, along with additional queries. The council decided to conduct further research on the matter and will give its final verdict in the next meeting.
Read more: CII Announces Sadqa-e-Fitr and Fidya Rates for 2025
Other Rulings
On the issue of organ transplantation, the council ruled that kidney and liver transplants are permissible as long as the donor’s life is not put at risk.
The council also decided that religious terms such as Salah (prayer), Ayah (verse), and Masjid (mosque) should not be translated into English and should be kept in their original Arabic form.
The members stressed the need to raise awareness about electricity theft and urged scholars and intellectuals to play their role in educating people.
Regarding pension funds, the council ruled that newly hired employees may be required to participate in the contributory pension system, but existing employees cannot be forced into it. It was also emphasised that pension funds must not be linked to any interest-based financial system.
On Zakat distribution, the council stressed that funds should be given to deserving individuals without delay. However, if administrative processes cause delays, these funds can be placed in profit-generating Islamic bank accounts. In case of financial losses, the government will be responsible for compensating them.
The Council of Islamic Ideology reaffirmed its previous stance that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Transgender Bill contains un-Islamic elements similar to the Transgender Act of 2018, which had already been declared inconsistent with Islamic principles by the council and the Federal Shariat Court. The council also objected to the inclusion of the Guru-Chela (mentor-disciple) concept in the bill, deeming it un-Islamic.
At the end of the session, prayers were offered for the late mother of Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir. The meeting concluded with a commitment to further research and discussions on these issues in the future.
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