Pakistani actress, anchor, columnist Hina Bayat talks about the importance of truly understanding our religion and its teachings, addressing the criticism she received for returning to work after her husband’s demise. ‘Hum Islam ko samajhte nahin, sirf fatway lagate hain’, said the senior actress.
Hina Bayat said many people had a problem with her returning to work after her husband’s demise- based on their idea that she had not completed her iddat period. Discussing the concept of iddat In Islam- ‘the period a woman must observe after the death of her husband or after a divorce’, she said while many had criticized her for not sitting in iddat for a specific time period, they failed to understand the conditions and context under which iddat must be practiced. It is not a mandatory observance. She said working women who are the breadwinners of the family and have to provide for their children, are under no obligation regarding it.
She said even though we call ourselves Muslims we know very little about our religion, and mostly go by hearsay. She further gave the example of the time of our Prophet (PBUH) where during times of war it was women who would bury their men in the ground.
