The mutual rights that Allah The Almighty has enjoined on both the spouses represent His utmost justice. There are two major rights. There are two main rights: the right to good companionship, and the right to overnight stay and equal distribution. In this series we will address the first of these rights. First: The right to good companionship Muslims will […]
Marriage is a sacred bond… Entered into by two people who are committed in their goal to fulfil the Sunnah and attain the pleasure of their creator. It is also a natural human impulse to want to share your life with someone special and create a family. When everything is new, it is easy to remain enthusiastic, but the reality […]
The Young Man and the Elder Stranger A 24-YEAR-OLD man lived in a small town where everyone knew everyone else. He had a reputation as someone who could not keep a job for long, who did just the necessary minimum to get by. He never hurt anyone or committed any crime but seemed to have no ambition or willingness to improve […]
MORE AND MORE awareness has been raised regarding the phenomenon of ‘marriage bandits’ – those men, often portraying themselves as ‘religious,’ who approach women with convincing proposals of marriage, charming them into shady arrangements resembling (barely) ḥalâl hook-ups rather than serious commitments. Shortly after, victims of these predators will find themselves used and abused, their Islamic rights disregarded, and their […]
PSYCHOLOGISTS DEFINE THE word ‘family’ as the first group of people that a child lives and interacts with in the first years of his life. During this period the child copies his parents in their attitudes, personality, reactions to different situations, cultural practices, etc… The first and foremost job of the family is to protect the fiṭra of the child. […]
IN OUR INTRODUCTION (“The Fires of Marriage: How to Stop Fighting With Your Spouse”) we discussed how marital conflict can be used as a tool to bring couples closer by strengthening their bond. Just as Allah’s Messenger œ mentioned that fitnah (tribulation) purifies the believer like a forge-fire purifies gold, there is perhaps no relationship that can purify a person better […]
MEN ARE JUST babies.” “Women are so emotional.” “Your husband is your first child.” “Don’t try to understand women.” In lectures and articles, from popular Muslim speakers and well-meaning aunties, these phrases are passed on as part and parcel of marriage advice or counsel on how to deal with the opposite gender. The tone is usually light-hearted, with a knowing […]
The Missing Marriage-Crisis Link MARRIAGE IS CURRENTLY one of the most popular topics in the Muslim community, and not just because people like a love story or aunties are bored (although those are true too). Marriage in America is in crisis, irrespective of religion. As a reaction, we constantly hear talks that seek to enlighten the average Muslim couple about their […]
If children are born into a marriage, it can highlight many of the differences that you were originally able to overlook as a couple. Some cultural differences, like food preferences and language difficulties, may be overcome in the first years of marriage. However, other challenges, like how to rear children, can stretch on for the whole of a couple’s parenting […]
ANY OF US struggle with familial relationships. Sometimes, it can be overwhelmingly lonely. But even in the most difficult of family times, remember: even the Prophets had family issues. And despite their struggles, they continued in the path of God, knowing He was with them and that they were not alone—just as we must know through our own struggles. You […]
