Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.
AFTER DIVORCE p. 223
The question immediately after divorce is of ways and means to meet one’s necessary expenses. One’s answer is to resort to the Islamic law of inheritance. If women were to be given their due share according to Islamic law, there would be no question of a woman becoming destitute. But, sad to say, the majority of Muslim women fail to get their due share of inheritance from their deceased fathers and husbands as stipulated by Islamic law. This would be more than enough to meet such emergencies if they could do so. p. 223
However, Islam has not just left women’s financial problems to the vagaries of inheritance because parents are not invariably in possession of property that can be divided among their children. Further arrangements have been made under the maintenance law, but this has no connection with divorce law. Therefore, the answer to this question must be sought in the Islamic maintenance law. Here, we shall briefly describe some of its aspects: p. 223
1. In case the divorced woman is childless or the children are not earning, according to Islamic law, the responsibility for her maintenance falls on her father. That is, her situation will be the same as before marriage. p. 224
To quote from Fath al-Qadir (A standard book on Islamic Law): p. 224other source
“The Father is responsible for bearing his daughter’s expenses until her marriage if she has no money. The father has no right to force her to earn, even if she can. When the girl is divorced and the period of confinement is over, her father shall again bear her expenses.” (Ibn Hummam, Fath al-Qadir ala al-Hidayah, Vol. 4, p. 410) p. 224other source
2. If the divorced woman has a son who is an earning family member, the responsibility for her maintenance falls entirely upon him. p. 224
All that rightfully belongs to a wife will be the duty of the son to provide, that is, food, drink, clothes, house, and even servants, if possible. (Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar ‘ala ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, Vol. 2, p. 733) p. 224other source
3. In the case of the father being deceased, and where even her children cannot earn, her nearest relatives, such as brothers or uncles, are responsible for her upkeep. Without even this third form, the Islamic Shariah holds the State Treasury (baitul mal) responsible for bearing her expenses. She will be entitled to receive the money for her necessities. p. 224
Because of the number of provisions made under Islamic law for women, it has never been the case in Islamic history that Muslim divorced women have been cast adrift, helpless, with no one to look after them. p. 225
Indian columnist Khushwant Singh has remarked that we do not hear of Muslim women committing suicide or being tortured like Hindu women, which is proof that Islam has already given them adequate liberty and has made enough provision for them to be supported in times of emergencies. p. 225other source
A new dimension has been added to the issue since the women of this day and age can leave their homes to work and are, therefore, not as entirely dependent on men as they used to be in the past: there is no need then to make laws which provide for them at the expense of their menfolk. What is the point in making such a law when earning like men? Only in exceptional cases, indeed, do they need to be looked after, and ways and means of doing so can generally be worked out satisfactorily on a personal level. p. 225
SHAPING THE FAMILY AND SOCIETY p. 227
According to a tradition of Prophet Muhammad, “The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family.” (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 3895) p. 227hadith
Families are fundamental units of society, collectively shaping its fabric. If families are in good order, society will follow suit. Conversely, if families sink into a low moral state, society cannot prosper. Every person is born into a family, where he experiences his first lessons about home, family, and society. Therefore, to improve society, we must improve the quality of family members. p. 227
Everybody receives their first education within their families and homes. Those who receive a positive upbringing within their homes will likely exhibit similar societal behaviour. They will actively promote goodness, overlook unfavourable situations, and sincerely appreciate positive attributes in others. These individuals exemplify the highest moral character and contribute to the betterment of society. p. 227
Preparing the next generation is a mother’s responsibility. The human generation is like a flowing river, where the water is continually replaced. In human beings, too, the new replaces the old. And a mother plays a crucial role in preparing this new generation. The responsibility of supplying good human beings to every generation devolves upon her. If a mother understands her responsibility and prepares herself to fulfil this role, she can play a pivotal role in not only shaping the lives of her children on spiritual lines but, in turn, she will be able to shape society on positive lines. p. 228
Women play a pivotal role in shaping the character of individuals in a family. If mothers can develop goodness and high moral character in their children, they will be able to contribute to the betterment of society. It is indeed true: better home, better society. p. 228