Why do Muslims not allow divorce?

Answer 1

Answer 1

Who told you they don't allow it? They make it easy -- for the men at least. A male Muslim can divorce his wife just by telling her he's doing it (he's still expected to provide for any children).

Answer 2

Islam in all of its sects permits divorce for cause regardless of whether the husband or wife submits the request. (Divorce for cause is when a person says "I want a divorce because of this religiously acceptable reason - such as adultery".) Islam in all of its sects forbids divorce without cause, again regardless of whether the husband or wife submits the request. (Divorce without cause is when a person says "Don't ask me why, but I want a divorce from my spouse" - "My spouse bores me now, so I want a divorce".)

In terms of application, since these laws are typically applied in more mesogynistic countries, the cultural morays are more prone to accepting a husband-submitted claim for divorce without a cause (even though this is illegal according to Islam) and rejecting a wife-submitted claim for divorce for cause (even though accepting it is mandatory according to Islam). However, this is an issue with culture as opposed to the religious dogma.

The reasons why Islam forbids divorce without cause, are several:

Stability: Islam values the stability of marriage because it provides for the development of settled communities, the raising of children, and continuity of people's lives.

Holiness: Marriage is a holy act and a sacred union should not torn asunder without serious and important reasons.

Property Protection: Since assets are co-mingled during a marriage, as well as dowries, a devious person could use marriage to swindle another family out of property and/or money. By making divorce more difficult, it reduces the prevalence of this issue.