No mention of Triple Talaq in Quran: Islamic scholar backs Salma Ansari

Backing Vice-President Hamid Ansari's wife Salma Ansari's statement on Triple Talaq, Islamic Scholar Zeenat Shaukat Ali on Sunday said there is no mention of the practice in the Quran.

Shaukat Ali reiterated Salma's statement, saying that people should read the Quran for themselves in order to understand it in its true essence.

"That (Salma Ansari's statement) is absolutely correct. There is no such thing such as triple talaq mentioned in the Quran the way it is practiced today. We don't even have to discuss the matter. When it is not in the Quran, then there is no point carrying it forward. I think Muslim men and women should read the Quran for themselves. If they read, they'll themselves discover that these things don't exist," Shaukat Ali told ANI.

The Islamic scholar further said that the Allah considers both the sexes equal, adding that there is no gender discrimination in Islam.

"Muslim women read the Quran in a language which they don't understand. They should read it in translated language and from beginning to end in order to discover that such a thing does not exist. God is just towards both the sexes because there's no discrimination in Islam," she said.

Joining the chorus of voices against Triple Talaq, Salma Ansari yesterday noted that saying talaq thrice does not amount to anything, and further called on Muslim women to read the Quran thoroughly instead of relying on clerics for their views on Islam.

"There can be no 'talaq' just because someone says 'talaq, talaq, talaq' three times," Ansari told reporters.

"Whatever the maulana said you think it's true. You read the Quran in Arabic but never read its translations. Women should read the Quran, ponder on it, gain knowledge what the Shariat says and not just follow anyone blindly," she added.

Ansari was participating in a program at Chacha Nehru Madarsa run by Aligarh's Al Noor charitable society.

The Allahabad High Court had in December 2016 held that the practice of triple talaq is 'cruel' and raised an issue that whether the Muslim Personal Law could be amended to provide relief to the Muslim women.

The High Court also stated that the form of 'instant divorce' is 'most demeaning'.

The Supreme Court is to hear multiple pleas challenging the validity of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy practices among Muslims community on May 11 by a Constitution bench during the summer vacation.

Earlier, on March 27, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the apex court that the pleas challenging such practices among Muslims were not maintainable as the issues fell outside the realm of judiciary.