▁the ▁local ▁social ▁and ▁moral ▁concerns , ▁with ▁the ▁over arch ing ▁aim ▁of ▁ens uring ▁social ▁harm ony . ▁Act ual ▁legal ▁practice ▁sometimes ▁devi ated ▁from ▁the ▁pre cept s ▁of ▁the ▁legal ▁school ▁that ▁was ▁dominant ▁in ▁the ▁area , ▁at ▁times ▁to ▁women ' s ▁benefit ▁and ▁at ▁times ▁to ▁their ▁dis adv antage . ▁M embers ▁of ▁all ▁social ▁classes ▁and ▁their ▁witness es ▁argued ▁their ▁cases ▁in ▁court ▁without ▁professional ▁legal ▁representation , ▁though ▁members ▁of ▁the ▁upper ▁class ▁generally ▁did ▁so ▁through ▁a ▁representative . ▁Women ▁were ▁commonly ▁involved ▁in ▁lit ig ation , ▁usually ▁as ▁pla int iffs , ▁were ▁assert ive ▁in ▁arg uing ▁their ▁cases , ▁and ▁they ▁were ▁often ▁treated ▁sympath et ically ▁by ▁the ▁judge . ▁According ▁to ▁legal ▁doctrine , ▁a ▁woman ' s ▁testim ony ▁in ▁most ▁areas ▁of ▁law ▁carried ▁half ▁the ▁weight ▁of ▁that ▁of ▁a ▁man , ▁though ▁available ▁evidence ▁suggests ▁that ▁practical ▁effects ▁of ▁this ▁rule ▁were ▁limited ▁and ▁the ▁legal ▁standing ▁of ▁women ▁in ▁pre - mod ern ▁Islam ▁was ▁compar able ▁to ▁or ▁higher ▁than ▁that ▁of ▁their ▁European ▁contempor aries . ▁ ▁T ala q ▁( rep udi ation ) ▁ ▁Jur is pr ud ence ▁ ▁The ▁term ▁t ala q ▁is ▁commonly ▁translated ▁as ▁" rep udi ation " ▁or ▁simply ▁" div or ce ". ▁In ▁classical ▁Islam ic ▁law ▁it ▁refers ▁to ▁the ▁husband ' s ▁right ▁to ▁dissol ve ▁the ▁marriage ▁by ▁simply ▁announ cing ▁to ▁his