An interesting passage I found in Prof. Jackson’s book, “Islam and the Blackamerican”:

“The rewards that rapidly accrued to those who could claim even
the most tenuous connection to the Muslim world and its religious authority
were simply too great to resist. Blackamerican students who flocked to the
Middle East only to flunk out of seminaries or to go no further than the language
requirements for admission returned (often in full “regalia”) to positions
of honor and respect, if not actual leadership. Indeed, a year (or even less)
abroad, in any Muslim country (Arabic speaking or not), could offset completely
the would-be negative implications of having barely graduated from
high school or having never held down a steady job. In short, the “new” criterion
engendered by the identification with Immigrant Islam provided a way
for many of the less-accomplished to bypass traditional American paths to
economic and social status, allowing them to cloak failure and the rejection of
time-honored standards of social, interpersonal, and economic responsibility
in the guise of religious commitment. In the end, the success rate of Blackamericans
who ventured abroad to acquire the Islamic religious sciences
turned out to be disappointingly low. As such, even if by the late 1980s almost
every major U.S. city was home to a contingent of Blackamerican Muslims
studying abroad, scholars who were capable of getting the Islamic religious
sciences to speak effectively to their realities as Blackamericans were the exceptions
rather than the rule.”

Asalaamu alaikum,

Since this thread is sort of related to the topic of marriage, I was hoping someone could direct me to a good and comprehensive e-book on marriage in Islam (e.g. covering rights and obligations, etc.)??

Jazak’Allahu khairun for any assistance!!