By Faakirah Irfan

Sajida Ahmed sat on the edge of her bed, lit dimly by the yellow glow of a naked bulb swinging gently in the corner of her rented room in Srinagar. It was the middle of a cold March night. The kangri she used for warmth had long gone cold, just like her hopes. Her sewing machine—a gift from her husband before his sudden death—stood silently in the corner. It had been her only steady companion these last two years.

Widowed at 38, left with two daughters and no property in her name, Sajida was at the mercy of fate and fading generosity. Her in-laws had washed their hands of her. Her brothers, with whom she once played under the walnut trees of her father’s orchard, now told her: “You were married properly, your dowry was your share. Baba didn’t leave anything for you.”

She had no means to fight. Not because she wasn’t strong or intelligent, but because no one had ever told her the truth.

A Culture of Silence and Misconception

Sajida’s story is not unique in Kashmir. In a society where customs are often louder than laws, married women are routinely excluded from their inheritance—cut off from their natal homes with phrases like “she belongs to another family now” or “she ate her share in dowry.” The implication is clear: once married, a woman has no claim over her father’s or even her husband’s property.

This belief, however, is not just socially regressive—it is legally and religiously false.

What the Qur’an Says About Women’s Inheritance

The Holy Qur’an speaks clearly and repeatedly about the rights of women to inherit. Surah An-Nisa (Chapter 4) is the........

© Kashmir Observer