For the first time since Islam came into being 1400 years ago, a model nikahnama (marriage certificate) has been evolved by the largest representative body of Shia Muslims in India.
Making this announcement in Lucknow on Sunday, Maulana Mohammad Athar, president of All India Muslim Shia Law Board told a press conference, "The model nikahnama that has been drafted afresh without deviating from the basic tenets of the Shariat, will be released at the forthcoming annual convention of the board at Mumbai on November 26."
Among the other issues to be taken up at the convention, were poor ratio of the Shia community in governance as also the problem being faced by common Muslims on account of their being taken as suspects for increasing terrorist activities in the country.
The model nikahnama prepared by the board has now been ratified by two key quarters -- religious as well as judicial.
"We have just received a formal approval from the Iran-based Ayatollah Sistaini, the world's most highly revered and widely recognised Shia religious head," he said.
In a major deviation from the traditional nikahnama, the new one lays much emphasis on the well being of women.
"Now the groom has to made a declaration ensuring his good behaviour and the overall well being of the girl," emphasised the maulana. "The bridegroom has to assure that he will neither harass the girl after marriage nor subject her to any kind of ill-treatment, failing which she would be free to seek legal separation (talaq) from him," he stressed.
Yet another clause has been added with a view to checking the increasing number of cases of false projection by bridegrooms about their status or their earnings while seeking matrimonial alliances with well-placed girls. "I am personally aware of cases where bridegrooms have managed to dupe girls by proclaiming themselves as doctors or engineers when they had actually not even cleared high school; but a new provision in the model nikahnama will entitle them to seek immediate talaq on such an issue," the maulana pointed out.
In addition to the declaration to be made on the nikahnama itself, the Shia panel proposes to also seek a separate undertaking from the bridegroom.
"As such, the bridegroom will have to sign a guarantee that if he chooses to divorce his wife, he would continue to give monthly maintenance to her until she is able to have her own source of livelihood," said the Shia panel chief.
"While such an undertaking was not as per the laid down Islamic tenets, it was done on humanitarian considerations," he said.
Referring to other issues to be taken up at the board's next meet in Mumbai later this month, the maulana said, "Even though we drew the attention of both the President and prime minister to the poor ratio of Shias in governance, we have not yet received any positive response from them."
"We would also want to urge the government to do something about changing the mindset of officials about suspecting Muslims in general as some kind of terrorists or their supporters," he added.
He made it clear that, "while I reiterate my resolve to unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism, I feel that it was unfair to suspect each of the 200 million Indian Muslims and therefore there is an urgent need to do something about this."