He must not marry a widow...

He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, so he will not defile his offspring among his people.”(Lev.

21:13-15) In Israel today, a descendant of the Cohen caste (the high priests of the days of the Temple) cannot marry a divorcee, a widow, or a prostitute.[^2] In the Jewish legislation, a woman who has been widowed three times with all the three husbands dying of natural causes is considered ‘fatal’ and forbidden to marry again.[^3] The Qur’an, on the other hand, recognizes neither castes nor fatal persons. Widows and divorcees have the freedom to marry whomever they choose.

There is no stigma attached to divorce or widowhood in the Qur’an: “When you divorce women and they fulfil their terms [three menstruation periods] either take them back on equitable terms or set them free on equitable terms; but do not take them back to injure them or to take undue advantage, if anyone does that, he wrongs his own soul. Do not treat Allah’s signs as a jest.”(2:231) “If any of you die and leave widows behind, they shall wait four months and ten days.

When they have fulfilled their term, there is no blame on you if they dispose of themselves in a just manner.”(2:234) “Those of you who die and leave widows should bequeath for their widows a year’s maintenance and residence. But if they [the widows] leave (the residence) there is no blame on you for what they justly do with themselves.”(2:240) [^1]: Hazleton, op. cit., pp. 45-46. [^2]: Ibid., p. 47. [^3]: Ibid., p. 49. Previous…