#Society
Fiqh of Love: O You Who Are About to Marry, Any Last Words? Any First Words?
It was my pleasure to write this article at the request of Shaykh Waleed Basyouni for distribution to students in his upcoming course, Fiqh of Love, which will be taught in mid-May in Toronto, ON (sold out online, but there may be availability onsite). In addition to reviewing the article before publication, he graciously suggested that it be shared here with all of you, too. May Allah increase in ‘ilm and hiqmah Shaykh Waleed and others of His slaves who contributed, and may He overlook the faults of this piece and its author, and may He be pleased with all of us who seek His Pleasure in our marriages and married lives.
Bismillah walhamdolillah.
Allah Created. And among His unique qualities is that He Creates without precedent.
Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah
Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.
The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.
Before Allah Decreed it, there had never been a “pair” of anything. What He made could never have been imagined by any of His Creations, and what He Created was something wonderful, walhamdolillah.
He has described the husband and wife as garments for each other. Think about that — if you are unmarried something about you is fundamentally incomplete.
Allah has decreed that man and woman each has free choice. So how will you choose to complete the pair?
When you ‘shop’ for your spouse, what will you look for, who will you ask, and what questions or discussions will follow? Length? Width? Color? Perhaps.
The sunnah in Islam is to find out the information that will cause you to know whether to propose to someone or accept that person’s proposal. And when you have what you need to know, then you should proceed with the proposal or else stop.
This differentiates Islamic practice from other courtship rules in as much as other rules would permit courting as entertainment, ie, dating.
If you want to take your spouse on a date, bismillah. If you want to go on a date with someone to whom you are not married, beware the evil into which shaytan would lead you.
The same discretion should enter your questions and conversations before marriage. It is perfectly reasonable to have conversations whose only purpose is to establish that you two can have an easygoing and light conversation.
Yet too many open-ended conversations might lead to affections developing, and at that point many commentators have pointed out that people’s brains switch off: at that point they see only good in the other person. One writer even said that the person in love is as unreasonable as a drunk person.
Indeed Allah does not hold us accountable for our feelings: just as the pen is lifted for the intoxicated person — but the person who is intoxicated now may find tremendous punishment for his actions while he was sober: when he had the aql to avoid drink. And in the same way, Allah may hold us to account for indiscretions committed before we fell (intoxicated) in love — blameworthy actions that led us to a state of love, actions committed when we still had the aql to avoid them.
At the same time, how the other person makes you feel is important. Indeed when the Prophet sull Allaho alayhi wa sallam found out from Jaabir that Jaabir had selected a woman to marry, the Prophet sull Allaho alayhi wa sallam did not first ask Jaabir if she were a pious woman. He asked if Jaabir had seen her, looked upon her. And he advised doing so until Jaabir saw what would cause him to marry. Implying that it would have been possible he might not see it, and thus might not marry. And Allah’s Decree was that he saw, and they did marry, alhamdolillah.
So we know looking is allowed and that implies that other investigation is, too, because when you observe a person you do not see them posed or on a runway, naudhobillah, like clothes in the store. You see them in life, and you observe their interactions so inquiries into those are like what you would see, permissible at least as to what could be seen.
With so many warnings in mind, you may imagine that the only conversations and questions should be about deen: “How many verses have you memorized and of how many of them have you studied the tafseer?” “What are your favorite adhkaar — in salaat — before the basmallah?” “Do you read Muslim more often, or Bukhari?”
Those questions are… odd. Let’s face it — if you are starting out with conversations like those… Who are you marrying? Your shaykh? Shaykh Waleed is already married, folks. :)
So which questions then should come first? Indeed, Imam Ahmed, RahimAllah, advised that questions about deen should be the very last ones a person asks. Why? For a beautiful reason: good deen beautifies a person and it is better to reject a physically beautiful woman for her ugly deen, than to reject a woman whose deen is beautiful to you for any other reason.
This principle is so strong that it may help explain why the Prophet sull Allaho alayhi wa sallam re-married the daughter of Omar, Umm al Mumineen Hafsa, radi Allaho anhumaa. Jibreel alayhis salam conversed with the Prophet sull Allaho alayhi wa sallam about her taqwa and ibadat after their initial divorce, and it was some time after that conversation that they remarried, alhamdolillah.
Interestingly, from the sunnah, there is also the case of Umm Salamah, also Umm al Mumineen, walhamdolillah. She was widowed and had children from her marriage. And after her iddah the Prophet sull Allaho alayhi wa sallam came to her to propose marriage. And clearly no one had more beautiful deen than him, sull Allaho alayhi wa sallam.
And yet, knowing that, she was prepared to reject him — not for his qualities, subhanAllah, but for her own issues that needed reconciliation. Her children — that they should have a father who loves them. Her age — that she avoid a situation whereby her husband find her at all lacking. And her jealousy of other women — including the other wives of the Prophet sull Allaho alayhi wa sallam.
And mashaAllah, this case shows us one of the keys to a successful courtship — indeed a successful courtship by the way, is one that ends in a marriage that pleases Allah. The nikah is just one moment, the exchange of a few words. And what follows the nikah is much more than just one night.
Keep that in mind: the success was more likely to come in marriage because the qualities the Prophet sull Allaho alayhi wa sallam showed in his responses to her were qualities of a successful husband. Her children he promised would be just like his own to him. As for age he compared theirs as reassurance to her. And he prayed to Allah for an easing of her jealousy, walhamdolillah.
Three beautiful qualities (at least) are easy to see in the responses: accommodation, empathy, dua/taqwa/tawakkol. Okay i squeezed three qualities in there for the last example, but alhamdolillah alaa kulli haal, it is difficult to pick only a few traits from his example.
We know that Umm Salamah was a perceptive and intelligent woman — witness her advice to the Prophet sull Allaho alayhi wa sallam at Hudaybiyyah. Thus she must have seen in his answers what she needed to know to accept his proposal, alhamdolillah. And indeed it was a successful marriage.
Before embarking on advice about specific questions or conversations you could have when looking for your wife or husband, reflect again on the example of Umm Salamah’s proposal and what followed: how could she have asked such good questions? She was aware of her own needs. And she knew the difference between her needs, and her wishes.
A Messenger of Allah for a husband? A wish. Her questions reflect that she knew, too, her needs. And you should, too, before you propose or respond to a proposal, wAllaho’Alim.
Otherwise, if you merely read to each other from a list of questions or conversation-topics — at best you are throwing darts in the dark wondering if you will hit something that yells out in surprise. And at worst you are ignoring the concerns that should be addressed.
Specific topics and questions to consider — an outline to build on:
Air and Water
–What are the roles of a husband?
–What are the roles of a wife?
This is a separate category because no other topic was so identified in research by Muslims and non-Muslims as a cause of divorce. Huh? Divorce? Yes, couples that have completely different ideas about these roles, and lacked the ability to concede or compromise — they often end their marriages.
“Air and Water” are essential for life, but we hardly ever have to talk about them. You might have additional topics that are “air and water” for you, but these two are different: they will affect everything else. If you are honest with each other now about your expectations, and if you can both breathe easily (accommodate each other), then later on, bi’idhnillah, you will only talk about these roles when you need to clear the air or get through murky waters. You can start the conversation in the abstract, what is the role of “a” husband and “a” wife, but you’re talking about each other.
Bread and Butter
–Finances including expectations of income and spending, who will work, what kind of work/income you would seek or refuse.
–Kids including how many and when, and how to raise them.
–Parents (ie., your kids’ grandparents, bi’idhnillah), other family, friends, socializing.
–Living arrangements including with or without parents and city/neighborhood and expectations of how big and how much.
Unlike “air and water” you can have as many bread and butter topics as you want. All of these things are important, and they may become the subject of arguments in a marriage if you do not discuss your expectations before marriage. But one thing that makes this category different from the others is that all the items are material or external in some fashion. Numbers, sizes, other people, stuff: how much of it do you want, by when, where, and does it even matter to you — assuming the other person has the same answers as you would be a mistake.
Veiled Gems
If you pay close attention to the discussions you and your potential spouse have during bread and butter topics, you will not only address each other’s expectations, bi ‘idhnillah, but also learn a lot about each other’s character.
For the same reason have conversations about goals and accomplishments, past and future — find out how each of you defines an accomplishment. See how much your goals, expectations, and priorities match with each other.
Have conversations about people in need — to find out whether the person cares about others or is more self-interested. Also to find out whether the person really listens to you, or is just waiting for his/her turn to speak. Finally, remember that marriage will have challenges, too, and these conversations will help you figure out whether you are talking to someone that you can rely on if times are tough. Or naudhobillah, someone who would run at the first sign of trouble.
Note: see “poison pills.” When it comes to any conversation, but especially for a veiled gem, you are not digging for faults, but searching for genuine understanding. Allah is ar Rahman nir Raheem — you can be forgiving and merciful to each other without being judgmental, while thinking seriously about your compatibility.
Poison Pills
Anything at all about which you yourself do not care while you speak. Even a noble subject, if you talk about it when you do not care what you or the other person are saying could become ghafla. There is also the disastrous possibility that the other person will see you do not care about the conversation and believe you do not care about them — (perhaps) mistaking your attitude.
Immodest conversations in general. Imagine the two of you were sitting in a room with the woman’s father, and the man’s mother. if you think the topic would cause the mother to look away or the father to pull out a sword, then you’re probably thinking of a topic that should not be discussed. Maybe the problem is only that immodest words are being used to discuss a topic that is permissible for you — so exercise good judgment.
What Happened to Deen?
Fasabrun jameelun.
The Prophet 
praised the quality of deen in a future spouse above wealth, beauty, family, and nobility.
Yet, you should realize that finding a religious person is not enough. You should have other things in common before marriage. Do look for a religious spouse, and choose one who is more compatible with you.
And a word of wisdom from past TDCs spoken by multiple shuyukh and advocates: when you search for a religious spouse, ask yourself if she would be happy with your religiosity, too! As Shaykh Yaser puts it, “Would you marry you?” — in this context would you be satisfied with a spouse who was only as religious as you?
Specific sources used in developing this handout: Fiqh of Love and Practimate.com (with Shaykh Yaser Birjas), 10 Conversations You Must Have Before Marriage by Dr. Guy Grenier, 1001 Questions to Ask Before You Get Married by Monica Mendez Leahy, Article posted in the Al Maghrib forums by Rabbi Mordecai Rottman, MA, “Four things to look for in a spouse.”
Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah
Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.
The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.
Family Troubles Of The Prophets: A MuslimMatters Series – [Part II] My Kids Are Out Of Control
The Coddling Of The Western Muslim Mind: [Part 1] The Cult Of Self-Esteem
Islam, Decoloniality, And Allamah Iqbal On Revolution
Addressing Abuse Amongst Muslims: A Community Call-In & Leadership Directives | The Female Scholars Network
Death The Greatest Teacher: Three Life-Lessons From The Child I Lost
Ensuring The Safety Of Our Communities: A Call For Immediate Corrective Action From American Muslim Organizations
Safeguarding Children In Today’s World: An Islamic Perspective On Child Sexual Abuse Prevention And Protection
International Criminal Court Warrant Galls Genocidaires
The Fall Of Barsisa: Lessons On Spiritual Corruption And The Abuse Of Religious Authority
[Podcast] Navigating Christmas: Advice to Converts, from Converts | Hazel Gomez & Eman Manigat
Study Classical Texts The Traditional Way [Session 1] | Sh. Yaser Birjas
Sami Hamdi: “Muslims Must Abandon Harris” | Transcript and Summary
IOK Ramadan: The Importance of Spiritual Purification | Keys To The Divine Compass [Ep30]
IOK Ramadan: The Power of Prayer | Keys To The Divine Compass [Ep29]
IOK Ramadan: The Weight of the Qur’an | Keys To The Divine Compass [Ep28]
-
#Culture1 month ago[Podcast] How To Free A Jinn & Other Questions | Ustadha Raidah Shah Idil
-
#Islam1 month ago
Study Classical Texts The Traditional Way [Session 3] | Sh. Yaser Birjas
-
#Life4 weeks ago
Ensuring The Safety Of Our Communities: A Call For Immediate Corrective Action From American Muslim Organizations
-
#Life1 month ago
Processing Spiritual Abuse In Islam: A Comprehensive Guide For Individuals, Communities, And Organizations
Acquisti
May 11, 2009 at 7:46 AM
Assalamu Alykum, The article is great, especially liked this part “ask yourself if she would be happy with your religiosity, too! “
emirzad
May 11, 2009 at 8:03 AM
would you marry you? lol…. never.
great article jazak Alllahu kheiran.
salam alaikum
Hajera
May 11, 2009 at 9:15 AM
Mashaallah .Great article.Jazakumallahu khairaa brother.
During a tafseer class my teacher explained the verse of libas very nicely.She said that libas [garment] always hides the faults of our skin, protects the skin from heat, cold etc, beautifies us, very intimate to us.That`s how a couple should be.
assalamualykum.
MM Associates
May 14, 2009 at 2:47 AM
Wa eeyakum wa alaykumus salam to everyone. (reply by abu abdAllah)
Allah’s examples are the best in their beauty and appropriateness. Jazak Allah khayr: I wanted to recount what I remembered from similar tafseer of the ayat, but could not nail down where I had heard it.
Hassan
May 11, 2009 at 9:37 AM
From the title it suggests the marriage is a suicide mission..
MM Associates
May 14, 2009 at 2:48 AM
Bismillah. (reply by abu abdAllah)
LOL. I remember when my parents first asked me to talk to a woman they wanted me to consider marrying. Gallows humor seemed appropriate for the title.
zubair
October 15, 2009 at 5:00 AM
beautiful Article .. Alhamdullila ..
I am nervous just .. thinking about it .. :(
Yasir Qadhi
May 11, 2009 at 9:57 AM
That was, ma sha Allah, a refreshingly novel article! Wouldn’t expect anything less from you Tariq. :)
And now that you’ve written the article … ;)
MM Associates
May 14, 2009 at 2:50 AM
Bismillah. (reply by abu abdAllah)
Am working on it, Shaykh Yasir. :)
SaqibSaab
May 11, 2009 at 10:07 AM
Hehe, my thoughts exactly. Glad to see this will be included at FoL in Toronto, JAK Tariq.
TenaciousRei
May 11, 2009 at 11:03 AM
Very nice article!
MR
May 11, 2009 at 11:15 AM
JazakAllah khair.
Side note: you should follow the professional college level way of citing sources. :-D
MM Associates
May 14, 2009 at 2:51 AM
Wa eeyakum. (reply by abu abdAllah)
There were a few places in the article where citations would have been particularly appropriate — these were specific ideas that I got from specific sources. All of the article was a synthesis of ideas I saw in most if not all of the sources, so I just punted when it came to blue-booking the article. InshaAllah, several years from now, MM may be absorbed by the Fiqh and Society Review of the Jamia AlMaghrib, Houston, Texas. Then eager fiqh and aqeedah students will be able bi ‘idhnillah to extract more rigorous citations from authors. Till then, though, keep up the reminders. ;)
Nahyan
May 11, 2009 at 11:20 AM
jazakallahukhair for that excellent article bro.
Umm Fulaanah
May 11, 2009 at 11:22 AM
maasha-Allaah… i loved the article from the very start…. and i agree with Hassan… when i saw the a tittle, i had suicide in my mind…!
Insha-allaah we’ll expect more articles of these kinds….
Ibn Masood
May 11, 2009 at 1:27 PM
Interesting article mashAllah
Algebra
May 11, 2009 at 5:02 PM
Aslamu-alaikum:
A question…….
why are they having so many speakers and what is the set up. How is it going to be different from the others.
anyone from here going?
P.S. Nice Post mashAllah.
salam
Rasheedah
May 11, 2009 at 6:33 PM
Asalam alaykum
Mashallah nice post… very informative and very different from the ‘usual’ marriage articles. Definately something i’ll be keeping for future reference.
one of the most difficult topics to discuss with a prospective spouse (in my opinion) is finances… it’s such a delicate area. It’s no wonder its one of three main reasons for divorce in muslims in the west.
marry halal
May 11, 2009 at 8:44 PM
Well written, but why does it all have to be SO difficult?
May Allah make it easy on all the unmarried couples feeling around in the dark (especially me).
MM Associates
May 14, 2009 at 2:19 AM
Bismillah was salamu alaykum. (reply by abu abdAllah)
I actually found from my research that Islam makes every aspect of finding someone and getting married easy. Trust me, every difficulty you find has its source with people.
If I may rephrase your question, “Why do people make things SO difficult?” For the same reasons that man needs Guidance to worship Allah properly.
We could re-write the question again, “Why do people make things SO difficult (for people seeking to marry) even after receiving Guidance from Allah in the Qur’an and Sunnah?” For the same reason that mankind and the jinn will deserve to be Judged by Allah — to varying degrees: we forget and are easily distracted, we prefer our own whim and reason to Guidance, and we simply disobey Allah.
May Allah Forgive me, you, and all the Muslims, and have Mercy on us, and may He Guide each of us and everyone we care for to that understanding of Him which brings us to submit to Him fully and without reservation.
ameera
May 22, 2009 at 1:44 AM
Beautiful article and this was a beautiful reply!
Sirnucy ibn Bakr bn Salih
October 20, 2014 at 2:58 AM
It’s such an enlighten and fascinating piece. May Allah make it easy for us for nothing is easy except that which Allah makes easy. Marriage is really kinda tough. Jazakhallah!
Fatima
May 12, 2009 at 11:49 PM
Asalamu Alaykum,
MashaAllah this was a great aritcle. I’m glad I came across this article, because I’m thinking about getting married soon, and i’m currently talking to someone. But I have one main concern, I’m older than him five years even though mashaAllah he is I think mature for his age. Should I be worried?
Algebra
May 13, 2009 at 12:43 AM
@Fatima
Aslamu=alai8kum:
AGE is a matter of perspective. IF it doesn’t bother you and you are compatible with each other than it really doens’t matter.
Many of my relatives are married to men that are younger than them and they are MashAllah very happy and have been married for many many years.
Its all a mind set :)
THERE is NO MAGIC FORMULA!!!!!!
salam
Fatima
May 13, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Walaykum Salam, sister Algebra
Thanks for replying, may Allah make the marriage process easy for myself and all other Muslims out there.
Salamz
Imtiaz
May 15, 2009 at 10:20 AM
Make lots of dua …. tell everyone you know to make dua for you..
go out do dawah and ask those ppl once they embrace this deen – to also make dua for you.
lessons learned from a recently married.
mystrugglewithin
July 4, 2009 at 8:18 PM
Although I am too late to follow up, but I must thank you for this nicest set of advices, jazkallah khair, and may Allah SWT bless you for your efforts, inshAllah. Asalamalaikum.
abu abdAllah Tariq Ahmed
August 29, 2009 at 7:11 AM
For some people, love comes one day in February. For Muslims in Houston, love comes this Fall. http://tr.im/hosna
zubair
October 15, 2009 at 5:07 AM
Bismilla-
Please All duva for me – I am in the same situation like loads of brothers and sisters who are on the verge to take Next Step ..
ALLAH hafiz.
Umm Saara
April 14, 2010 at 5:59 AM
Assalamoalaikum,
beautiful article mash’Allah.
One thing that i want to emphasise on is DUA, DUA and more DUA. Allah, the most High, knows what is in your hearts and hears your duas and will accept them. when? we don’t know. Allah, Glory be to Him, is the best of planners. He alone knows whats best for you and when. Put your trust in Allah and know that as long as you continue to be a good muslim – one who is gaining knowledge and trying to correct yourself at all times, KNOW that your prayers will be answered.
I got past the age of 28 and was constantly bombarded with my AGE…getting past it and all that. It got to the point that a relative suggested an asylum seeker – he needed stay and i needed to get married. Subhan’Allah. My father soon put a stop to that! Allhamdullilah. dua in sujood is one of the best times – open up your heart. say what you want. I refused alot of people based on religion and as i got older, i gained more knowledge mash’Allah, i became more practising, Allhamdullilah and for someone who was at one time in my life ‘disgusted’ with beards…got to the point that i had to marry someone who had a beard. Allhamdullilah. why? because i knew the ‘beauty’ of it, i knew the reasons behind it and above all i wanted someone who was aspiring to be like our beloved prophet (peace and blessing be upon him).
So whatever your situation, think about yourself – as it states in the article mash’Allah – WOULD YOU MARRY YOU? strive to make yourself a better muslim. if you are getting hassle from others – because perhaps they think you are being too fussy, choosy etc… then SEEK REFUGE FROM SHAYTAN do not fall in the trap of feeling depressed and know that Allah, the most gracious the most powerful is on your side
May Allah ease the path to marriage and bless all of our marriages. ameen.
May Allah swt reward the sheikhs and their families for their time, effort and knowledge that they share with us. ameen.
wasalaam.
A Muslim in search for an answer!!!
May 24, 2010 at 1:19 PM
Just recently my mom introduced me to a few prospective girls that she wanted me to consider for marriage.
I did istikhara and my thoughts kept going on one of these and I conveyed my decision to my parents. Then they asked a shaikh to do the istikhara. He said that his answer to the istikhara was a no.
I can’t understand why after doing istikhara my heart would tend to go towards a specific person and this shaikh says that he does istikhara and its a no. So much so, that my parents say that since the shaikh says no they will not consider the girl even……
Can you guide me on what to do in this situation??????
Rifai
May 24, 2010 at 4:22 PM
You may want to consult with a proper scholar of Islam rather than some possibly unqualified “Shaikh”. The reason I say this is because I was told by a knowledgeable person that you cant do Istikhara for someone else…can someone please correct me if I am mistaken here?
Also, what are the qualifications of this Shaikh? Is he a scholar? Has he studied abroad or in the country under qualified shuyookh? Or is he a so called peer/murshad/sajjada etc. – its best to stay away from the likes of these…
In any case, the parents have to be respected and one should not strain relations with them.
Amad
May 25, 2010 at 12:32 AM
I am no sheikh, but I can tell you that istikhara is personal, and the sheikh is not in a position to do the istikhara for you as nothing like this is proven from the Sunnah. You should find some literature online for istikhara and share with your parents, showing them that we do not go to the sheikh to ask him to check out “signs” for us.
Umm Saara
May 25, 2010 at 6:58 AM
Assalamoalaikum
All praise and thanks is to Allah, peace and blessings be upon our beloved final prophet.
I agree with the posts about ‘checking out the shaikh, as well as the post of doing the istikhara yourself.
Please read the following:
The correct view is that when Allaah makes something easy for you – after having decreed it and accepted your du’aa’ – this is a sign that it is good to go ahead and do it. The existence of obstacles and difficulties is an indication that Allaah is pushing His slave away from doing it. This meaning will be very clear when one ponders the meaning of the hadeeth of Jaabir concerning al-istikhaarah, where the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“… O Allaah, if You know this affair – [and here he should mention it] – is good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it, and if You know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion, my life, and end, then remove it from me and remove me from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with such.â€
There is a difference between making feeling happy the only sign and making it one of several signs. There is no set time period for salaat al-istikhaarah; it is permissible to repeat it more than once, but there is no limit to how many times. The person may offer the du’aa’ before or after saying the salaam. And Allaah knows best.
Ref: Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
——————————————————————————————————————————————
I pray Allah makes things easy for you and your family. our families always mean well and think that they are doing the right thing. we have to respect that to a point – but if it is going against the qur’an and sunnah then we have to gently guide them to what is right. Allah make this easy for us. ameen
Things will be difficult – this is your test. I know certainly when i was intended to marry someone – i did my istikhara regularly. i felt okay about the situation but i put my whole heart in that dua – which made me cry at times – as it is amazing mash’Allah. i went through 3 whole months of hanging on to this proposal – and one day i just made the decision to put a stop to it all – what a weight lifted off of my shoulders! Alhamdullilah. the best decision of my life.
wasalaam
A Muslim in search for an answer!!!
May 26, 2010 at 2:44 AM
Jazakallah for your answer!!
Firdous
July 14, 2010 at 7:44 PM
Salaam wa laykum!
my name is firdous and im 15 years old. all my life i always new islam treated muslim women fairly and justly but i reasently discoverde some hadith which stated the following:
I were to order anyone to prostrate to other than Allah, I would have ordered the woman to prostrate to her husband. even if he were to request her for herself (i.e. to have intercourse with her) whilst she was sitting upon a camel’s saddle, she should not refuse him.”
(Sahih, reported by Ibn Maajah and Ahmad from Abdullah ibn Awfaa)
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said,
By Him in whose Hand is my soul, if from his foot the crown of his head there was a wound pouring forth with pus, and she (his wife) came and licked that,
then she would (still) not have fulfilled his right.” (Good, reported by Ahmad and others)
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said,
“If the woman knew the right of the husband, she would not sit when his morning and evening meals were presented until he finished.” (Reported by al-Bazzar and others)
reading this i felt like i am nothing! i felt as though im not really free and i have no right or place ..its just REALLY CONFUSING AND IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS THAT WAY! SOME ONE PLS HELP ME UNDERSTAND THESE HADITH AND MY STATUS AS A WOMAN. for example in another hadith it says somthing like women are broken or bent and if men try and straited them they will break! WHAT DOUES THIS MEAN ABOUT ME..THAT IM BENT THAT IM BROKEN.SOME ONE PPPPPLLLLEAAASSSSEEE HELP ME MAKE SENCE OF ALL THIS WITH A REALLY REALLY GOOD ANSWER
JEZAKALLAH
SALAAAM
please email me a responce
Sayf
August 5, 2010 at 6:53 PM
Walaikum salaam,
You have to understand the big picture whilst looking at the details. In Islam we are told of numerous stories where people are given some sort of authority, i.e. Pharoah, ‘Ad and Thamud, certain leaders of Quraish, Banu Israel at the time of Isa (alayhi salam) etc, and these are the people who did not fulfill the responsibilities they had in relation to their power, resulting in them suffering horrible and unimaginable punishment in this life and the Hereafter.
To put it simply, authority = responsibility = accountability = more things to worry about on the Day of Judgement (which is the last thing you want on that day). The Sahabah understood this, and they feared taking positions of authority.
Coming back to the husband and the wife:
Ideally, when a man realizes he has been given a degree of authority in the relationship, it would send a shiver down his spine. All of the stories of the past and fear of standing before Allah on the Day of Judgement would come to him – and he would have a degree of authority,responsibility, and fear that women do not have to worry about at the same level.
There are a ton of things in the family that a man could potentially receive sin for which a woman would not. Essentially what’s being asked of the woman is to love, help and support her husband as her wife so that he could fulfill this sacred trust of epic magnitude, and so that he could do a good job of loving, helping and supporting her as her husband.
From the last sermon of the Prophet (sual Allahu alayhi wasalam):
Firdous
August 5, 2010 at 7:02 PM
Right right…. i totally get you:) besides its a wisdom frm Allah and we shouldnt always question it..makes alot more sence bro
jezakkallah!
slaam
Sayf
August 5, 2010 at 7:27 PM
It’s super important to ask critical questions to get a clear picture of things – just stay away from the CAPS button lol
noor4
August 5, 2010 at 5:01 PM
salamu alaikum my dearest sister Firdaus. I am a male. I nearly cried when i read your article.may Allah grant us understanding & guard us agaist shaitan.
Let us cast our minds back to where Rasul(SAW) says ‘the best of you are those who are best to their wives.’By bearing in mind all that you have mention above with respect to the relation between you & your husband, it will be the key to letting you have all the love, respect, protection etc from him.
How many times do we hear people say to a couple that the kady haq bewitched the man? Thats just it. I hope ive helpedyou al
Firdous
August 5, 2010 at 5:25 PM
Jezzakllah bro, i’m not actually married i just came across the hadith and didnt know what to make of it… i can imagine non- muslims grilling us with these types of hadiths if we dont know how to respond and i want to be able to explain it to others in a way that they can understand it as well as my self….
to be honest im kinda feel scared to get married in the future, im just wondering how much of a responsiblilty as a wife i would be carrying….and making sure my husband isnt angry or i get curesd by the angels….i dunno….. thank you anyway for replying i’ve been waiting for someone to help me out with this for a while and all the shiekhs and scholers seem to be dodging these kind of questions……
to be honest, by Allah i woun’t lie to you…, i still don’t really get it ..but thank you very much bro…
pls forward my Q to anyone else u no that can help me make sense of these…i’m quite desperate
salaam walaykum!
jezzakallah!!!!!
Firdous
August 5, 2010 at 6:52 PM
:)
Tahira
November 29, 2010 at 4:45 PM
I take offence to this statement:
“He has described the husband and wife as garments for each other. Think about that — if you are unmarried something about you is fundamentally incomplete.”
I never had the chance to get married. I am 40 years old and I never received any proposals, nor did my parents try to help because they didn’t know how. So I lived my life. I wasn’t allowed to “date”, and, I had no one to help me find a muslim spouse. So that’s that.
Am I fundamentally incomplete? I would like to think that I am not fundamentally incomplete, that Allah has made me complete. If I am unmarried, it is because God decided that a husband was not to be; so God has made me incomplete?
As idealistic as this article is, the reality is that in North America, muslim women have a very difficult time getting married, and as my parents always tell me, many of us women do not get married and are not destined to. The men, apparently, have no problem.
Tariq Nisar Ahmed
April 11, 2011 at 3:39 AM
I apologize twice, sister. Once because I did not see your comment until just now, and second because my words caused you some bad feeling.
Reflecting on what I wrote I feel I should put my words in perspective. I stand behind what I wrote in as much as marriage is as Allah and His Messenger sull Allaho alayhi wa sallam described it, and I believe the conclusion I reached was reasonable.
However, I should have made it more clear that pleasing Allah by a good marriage is only one means of pleasing Him, and that Allah may be well pleased with people who delayed marriage or who never married. And we can all think of examples of such people, alhamdolillah.
And the measure that most matters in this dunya is how close we will have come on the day of our death by our deeds and actions to pleasing Allah. So I apologize sincerely for the defects of my article. And I pray for your success in pleasing Allah in this dunya and akhirah, and likewise for myself and the Muslims.