International Journal of English Research 36 International Journal of English Research ISSN: 2455-2186; Impact Factor: RJIF 5.32 Received: 25-08-2020; Accepted: 10-09-2020; Published: 26-09-2020 www.englishjournals.com Volume 6; Issue 5; 2020; Page No. 36-39 Ismat Chughtai’s Portrayal of Child Marriage: An Analysis from Islamic and Feminist Perspectives Mahamadul Hassan Dhabak PhD Scholar, Department of English, University of Kalyani, West Bengal, India Abstract Marriage is adhered to by the majority of the human population as a social institution throughout the recorded history. Marriage institution, as a unit of patriarchy, legitimizes only a specific type of marriage that is heterosexual marriage. Child marriage is such type of harmful heterosexual practice that controls female body and sexuality. In some societies, marriage is a sacred act and in some societies, it is a contract between two heterosexual persons. The marriage contract has legal, religious and social consequences and is sensed as a formal recognition of commitment between spouses. This paper focuses on how the Muslim culture framework has addressed the issue of child marriage. It explores the religious background and the cultural practices of child marriage in the Muslim community in India. This paper comprises an analysis of child marriage in India, especially in Ismat Chughtai’s elaborate reflection on marriage in her short stories, as she holds a mirror of the society. Keywords: child marriage, patriarchy, Islamic, feminist, lower class Introduction Marriage is adhered to by the majority of the human population as a social institution throughout the recorded history. The historical evidence contributes generously to the concepts of marriage. However, there is no specific definition of marriage, which has been found yet. The definition of marriage differs greatly amongst religion and society. The institution of marriage is generally recognized as one wherein two people, a man and a woman enter into a contract to form a family. In certain societies, marriage can happen between a man and more than one woman, referred to as polygamy. In recent years, marriage between two people of the same sex, known as same-sex marriage, has become progressively sanctioned in some countries in the world. The marriage contract has legal, religious and social consequences and is sensed as a formal recognition of commitment between spouses. This paper focuses on how the Muslim culture framework has addressed the issue of child marriage. It explores the religious background and the cultural practices of child marriage in the Muslim community in India. This paper comprises an analysis of chid marriage in India, especially in Ismat Chughtai’s elaborate reflection on marriage in her short stories, as she holds a mirror of the society. The structure of this paper is as follows. Initially, the way, people have understood the concept of child marriage will be analysed in details. The essay then examines the child marriage as portrayed by Ismat Chughtai. Finally, it explores how women in Chughtai’s fiction become the victim of patriarchy through marriage institution. Socio-Religious Notion of child marriage If child marriage is examined in context of Islamic Culture, then it is a complex issue. Islamic Culture is based on Islamic Law (The Quran and The Hadith). In pre-Islamic age of Arab, the female infanticide was a common practice. Mohammad has become ‘Prophet’ 610 A.D and started to spread Islam to the people. He (‘Prophet’) has changed the traditional social customs, evils of social systems and the female infanticide was one of the evil customs. In the context of this social condition, the people of ‘early period of Islam’ have started to practice child marriage because the child marriage was initially better than infanticide. So, in the early phase of Islam, child marriage has been exercised for cultural reformation of society and it has given rights to girls to live with honour. When the Islam is completed in 629 A.D by the announcement of prophet in Macca; it gives much more freedom to women about their marriage than the previous ages. Islam does not give a specific age for marriage either for man or woman. On the issue of child marriage, Islam projects two types of instructions; women are given the freedom to choose their life partners; on the other hand parents are instructed to give their daughters in marriage. In Islamic law the girl’s consent is always sought; even she has the freedom to choose her life partner or to reject him. It has been quoted from Mohammad: “The widow and the divorced women shall not be married until their order is obtained, and the virgin shall not be married until her consent is obtained” (AlBukhari: 6455). In addition, Islam enshrines the power of women to annul their marriage if it is found that they have married against their consent. A hadith is said about it: When a man gives his daughter’s marriage and she dislikes it, the marriage shall be annulled. Once a virgin girl came to the prophet and said that her father had married her to a man against her wishes. The Prophet gave her the rights to repudiate the marriage (Rahman, Hadith-‘Abu Dawud’).