Islamic Family Law and Socio-Cultural Reform: A Critical Review of Marital Issues in Tafsir Taiseer-ul-Qur’an

اسلامی قانونِ ازدواج اور معاشرتی اصلاح: تفسیر تيسير القرآن میں مسائلِ نکاح کا تنقیدی جائزہ

Abstract

This study provides a critical and thematic analysis of Islamic family law and socio-cultural reform mechanisms presented in Tafsir Taiseer-ul-Quran, authored by the 20th-century South Asian Islamic scholar Maulana Abdul Rahman Kaylani. Known for his literalist exegesis rooted in Tafsir al-Quran bi-l-Quran (explaining the Quran through the Quran) and reliance on authentic Ahadith, Kaylani formulates a distinct jurisprudential framework to address contemporary marital issues (Masail-e-Nikah). Utilizing a descriptive-analytical approach, this research examines how Kaylani navigates key family law themes—including the essential prerequisites of the marriage contract, spousal compatibility (Kafa'ah), marital rights and duties, financial maintenance (Nafaqah), and modes of marital dissolution (Talaq and Khula). Crucially, the paper investigates Kaylani’s rigorous critique of un-Islamic social innovations (Bid'at) and entrenched local wedding customs within the South Asian Muslim community, contrasting them with orthodox scriptural dictates. The findings establish that Taiseer-ul-Quran serves as a potent instrument for social reform, advocating for the purification of domestic governance by restoring primary textual authority over socio-cultural practices.