The Wife's Duty to Observe Hijab and Ifaf from the Perspective of the Imperatives of Family Law: A Comparative Study of the Iranian and English Legal Systems

Document Type : Academicm and Research

Author

Assistant Professor of Private Law, Faculty of Law, University of Qom, Qom, Iran.

Abstract

The ruling concerning the obligatory nature of hijab (Islamic outfit) remains a matter of settled consensus among both Shia and Sunni jurists and constitutes one of the firmly established principles of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), notwithstanding the insinuations and skepticism that have surfaced in contemporary public discourse. However, a dimension that has received considerably less scholarly examination is the wife's duty to observe the conventional limits of hijab and ifaf (outward decorum in dress and conduct & inward chastity and restraint) in a manner commensurate with the exigencies of spousal and familial relations. This article addresses the question of whether, as one aspect of the husband's rights over the wife, a duty exists on the part of the wife to observe the conventional standards of hijab and ifaf according to the criterion of customary reasonableness, and, if so, what legal means of enforcement the husband possesses to secure compliance. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology and drawing upon established jurisprudential foundations and authoritative legal sources, the study reconceptualizes this obligation by expanding it from a purely individual religious duty to a familial obligation grounded in the reciprocal rights and duties of the spouses. Placing particular emphasis on the Jurisprudential Rule of Reasonable Conduct in Marital Relations (qāʿidat luzūm al-muʿāsharah bi-l-maʿrūf), the statutory duty of spouses to render mutual assistance in the consolidation of the family's foundations under Article 1104 of the Iranian Civil Code, and the reciprocal duty of fidelity and the preservation of the sanctity of the marital bond, the article concludes that the observance of modest ifaf and appropriate standards of hijab cannot be regarded as solely the wife's personal and private concern. On the contrary, such observance constitutes, in certain circumstances, an integral element of the husband's marital rights and, in other circumstances, an essential component of the wife's obligations within the familial unit. The husband possesses certain legal means of enforcement to secure the wife's compliance, but these are circumscribed by the overarching normative framework of the Rule of Reasonable Conduct and remain at all times confined within the imperatives of ethics and the preservation of the woman's dignity. The article further undertakes a comparative examination of the relevant legal concepts in the English legal system, finding that, although English law contains no statute that directly prescribes hijab or ifaf as a legal duty, the presence of related concepts, most notably fidelity and adultery, and their cognates in the law of divorce and matrimonial finance, indicates that the English legal system is not wholly unacquainted with the legal consequences that may flow from a failure to observe the requirements of modesty (ifaf) in marital relations.

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References

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