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Family Life (2)<br />

There have been many def<strong>in</strong>itions and descriptions of<br />

the family. For our purpose, we shall adopt the follow<strong>in</strong>g<br />

simplified def<strong>in</strong>ition. The family is a human social group<br />

whose members are bound together by the bond of blood ties<br />

and/or marital relationship.<br />

The family bond entails mutual expectations of rights<br />

and obligations that are prescribed by Religion, enforced by<br />

Law, and observed by the group members. Accord<strong>in</strong>gly, the<br />

family members share certa<strong>in</strong> mutual commitments. These<br />

perta<strong>in</strong> to identity and provision, <strong>in</strong>heritance and counsel, af-<br />

fection for the young and security for the aged, and maximi-<br />

zation of effort to ensure the family cont<strong>in</strong>uity <strong>in</strong> peace.<br />

As can be clearly seen from this, the foundations of the<br />

family <strong>in</strong> <strong>Islam</strong> are blood ties and/or marital commitments.<br />

Adoption, mutual alliance, clientage, private consent to sex-<br />

ual <strong>in</strong>timacy, and "common law" or "mal" marriages do not<br />

<strong>in</strong>stitute a family <strong>in</strong> <strong>Islam</strong>ic sense. <strong>Islam</strong> builds the family on<br />

solid grounds that are capable of provid<strong>in</strong>g reasonable con-<br />

t<strong>in</strong>uity, true security, and mature <strong>in</strong>timacy. The foundations<br />

of the familv have to be so firm and natural as to nurture s<strong>in</strong>w'<br />

cere reciprocity and moral gratification. <strong>Islam</strong> recognizes<br />

2) This discussion is merely an outl<strong>in</strong>e of the author's extensive study of<br />

The Family Stmcture <strong>in</strong> <strong>Islam</strong> which will be published soon by American<br />

Trust Publications.

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