An Analysis of Interpreters' View on the Implication of the Fourth Verse of Surah Talaq (Divorce) in the Issue of Child Marriage

The issue of child marriage is one of the important issues in Islamic society that it has repeatedly been reviewed from jurisprudential-legal perspectives, and different opinions have been expressed by its supporters and opponents about that. The two groups have referred to the fourth verse of Surah Talaq (divorce) as one of the most important arguments for and against child marriage. This analytical-documentary study aimed to analyze Fariqin's views on the implication of this verse in the issue of child marriage; thus, all related jurisprudential and Quranic jurisprudential sources were reviewed. The results show that some of the Fariqin scholars, with focusing on some verses and narratives and the contradiction of the fourth verse of Surah Talaq (divorce) with the verse of Iddah in the same Surah, as well as other verses related to the functions and goals of marriage, believe that the fourth verse of Surah Talaq (divorce) doesn't permit child marriage. Another group, with paying attention to the difference between the principle of correctness of marriage or the principle of its necessity and the belief of Mahramiat, as the key essence of marriage, agrees with the implication of this verse in the small people or immature children in particular (small), or in general (including small and non-small). Based on the selected view, the logic and concept of this verse shows that immature girls are its key matter. This view is the result of intra-textual, inter-textual, and meta-textual evidences, so it extracts the permission of child marriage from this verse.