THE NEGLECTED PEARL FOR ADAM
CHAPTERS 14. MARRIAGE IS NOT A TOY

Muti seriously listened to the story of Elena's life journey, now he could feel that he was still more fortunate than Elena. At least he still has people who love him, both his parents and his two older brothers.

"It turns out my problem is still much lighter than you face, El" said Mutia.

"So, what's your next decision, do you still want to keep your marriage?" ask Elena.

"Yes El, I have to fight. I will try to take the love of Sultan, although it may not be easy. You know El, there's a saying that says, rock as hard as any, if it's dripped with water continuously, then the stone will be hollow and can become broken."

Then Muti said again, "Well I hope, no matter how hard Kak Sultan stands, I will try to melt him by giving him constant attention and affection, God willing he will change."

"Hopefully yes Ma'am, Mr. Sultan will soon realize how much he has a very good wife. It would be foolish for you to ignore Muti continuously and instead choose a woman who has nothing and is too cheap" said Elena.

Elena remembers the attitude of the woman she always saw with the Sultan, according to her she always inflame her self-esteem and filling said the woman would only take advantage of the Sultan.

"What do you mean Al? Did you know Sultan has another woman?" ask Mutia.

"Eh, I mean dear if Mr. Sultan later get a cheap woman and instead ignore Mbak Muti who is so sincere to give love and build a household with you."

"Oh, I thought you'd seen Kak Sultan with another woman. You see, I suspect Al, a week we are here, Sultan always go and go home at night. She didn't give me a chance to carry out my duties as a wife" Mutia said sadly.

"It's Ma'am! Do not be sad, maybe at this time Mr. Sultan is busy. But my advice, for the next week, before your honeymoon time is over, Muti must be able to make him not go anywhere without Muti, however. Perhaps in that way, your heart's eyes will open that he has a wife to look after rather than all his affairs on the outside."

"How is El, I can't possibly lock him up for days in the room?" ask Muti.

"I will try to help you think, to make Mr. Sultan stay with Mr. Muti" said Elena.

Elena momentarily fell silent, then enthusiastically she said, "What if we make Mr. sick. So he will stay in the room and Muti will take care of him, who knows seeing Muti's patience in taking care of him, your heart will be broken and what is clear is that you will not meet the cheap woman," muti said that flabbergasted again because he felt indignant to see their affair.

"Actually that cheap lady you mean who is El? I'm so suspicious, you seem to know something, which I don't know at all" Mutia said.

"That's just my guess Ma'am. Oh yes Ma'am, what about my idea?"

"I'm afraid Al, what danger will happen? I'll be sorry and blame the family."

"Mak don't be afraid, we'll just make you have a stomachache, get you to go back and forth to the toilet, so you don't have time to think about anything else out there other than the toilet" Elena said with a laugh.

"How is El? Later if he asks to call the doctor or ask to be taken to the hospital how? Surely our actions will be discovered," said Pearl who was afraid.

"Leave it to me Ma'am, I will manage everything. Muti's mother just put the stomach pain medicine into your drink and make sure you take it. One more thing, if you ask me to call the Doctor, you have to tell me first, so I can find a self-styled doctor who will pretend to treat you. How's Mbak? I think this is the only way we can do this for now."

"If it fails and how is it discovered?" ask Muti.

"Yes El, come home from here, maybe we will immediately live in the house given by Kak Sultan's parents as our wedding gift. And I will not tell the true state of our household, neither to my family nor to his family. Let this secret be, I'll swallow it myself" said Elena.

"Huh, I salute Mrs Muti. Mbak's age is still very young, but Mbak has been able to behave like a mature woman. If I were Muti Ma'am, maybe I would not stand it and choose to leave Mr. Sultan and choose to pursue Mas Adam. I see he's a very good guy and I think he's still single and seems to be very attentive to Muti" said Elena.

"You are El, marriage for me is not a toy, so as much as possible I have to survive, as long as Kak Sultan does not make a fatal mistake, I will be able to survive."

"If not?" ask Elena.

"Maybe that's my soul mate with him" replied Pearl.

"You know El, the law of the wife asking for divorce is haram if for no reason syar'i. Because, in a hadith the Prophet said: “Anyone who asks for (demands) divorce from her husband without a justified reason then forbidden the smell of heaven on the woman,” (HR. Abu Dawud, Al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah).

"But, if Mr. Muti divorces Mbak how, who knows Mr. has another woman he loves and the woman demands that Mr. Muti divorce Mbak."

"If the story is so, I resigned El, but just live to where my household ark can survive," said Muti resigned.

"Sorry Ma'am if I'm presumptuous, has Mr Sultan ever touched or asked for his rights as Mbak's husband?" ask Elena.

Muti just shook his head, he was also surprised why the Sultan never asked for it or just wanted to make fun of him.

It is impossible to feel, if Sultan is not a normal man or maybe he does have another woman out there.

Seeing Muti speechless, Elena said again, "That's Muti's right as a wife, Mbak has the right to ask for it. If Mr. Sultan does not do his duty as well, Mbak Muti has the right to ask for divorce.

We as women are given the right to speak Mbak, one of the authorities we have the right to file khuluk or commonly referred to as ‘tebus talak’.

This Khuluk has legal legality in the Quran as mentioned in Surat al-Baqarah verse 229.

“Then if you are concerned that neither can uphold the rules of the law of God, so it is not sinful for them to take the payment (stewed talaq) given by the wife to redeem herself (and about taking the husband for the payment).”

Definitively, khuluk is the submission of talaq by the wife, as expressed by Mustafa al-Khin and Musthafa al-Bugha in al-Fiqh al-Manhaji ‘ala Madzhab al-Imam al-Shafi’i (Surabaya: Al-Fithrah, <TAG1>ala Madzhab al-Imam al-Syafi’i, 2000), juz IV, p. 127.

“Khuluk is a talak dropped because of the desire and insistence of the wife, such things are expressed by the way khuluk, namely the wife is able to pay for the agreement between herself and her husband, the wife is willing to pay, with (standard) following dowry that has been given.”

"No way, Ma'am, forever Muti does not get an inner living? Doesn't Muti want to have children? having cute children as a sign of the fruit of Muti's love with her husband" said Elena.

Muti pondered, will the fate of his marriage be that bad. It is inappropriate for the Sultan to be the mother of his children.

Muti massaged her aching head, so Elena felt guilty then, apologizing for everything she had said.