Marriage - A Form of Ibadah

all beyond comparison. His loving and warm approach was not
restricted to his wives but encompassed children, the weak and poor
and everyone he dealt with in general, r. When performing an act as
formidable as %al\h, he would shorten it if a child were to cry, to save its
mother from worry. This is the role model for all humanity and the
standard aimed for when husband and wife unite in All\h’s name.
MODERN SOCIETY’S BLUNDER
Muslims, especially those living in the West, must not only represent
the beliefs of Isl\m, but also display true family-structure and domestic
and social life in accordance to Isl\mic teaching. Love, respect and
trust between husband and wife in the secular world are quickly
deteriorating. Greed and self-centredness so consume the minds of all
that the selfish love of one’s own interests overtakes the love of family.
It is accepted by all, especially the rich, that money cannot buy
happiness. When the love for money enters the heart, it kills its
contentment, and solace cannot be found in anything else after that.
There are many couples in poorer countries and even here in the West
whose financial standing may be humble, but by virtue of the presence
of mutual love, respect and trust, the greatest trials such as poverty,
hunger and the loss of the most treasured of possessions are borne and
overcome with resolve and overshadowed by inner peace and
happiness. Simplicity and sincerity are not only the truest outcomes of
love, but also the greatest ingredients for sustaining it through thick and
thin.
THE CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A PARTNER
The Ras[l of All\h r has said, ‘A lady is married for one of four reasons:
wealth; rank; beauty; or piety. Marry her that possesses piety and
achieve success!’
al-Bukh\r| and Muslim
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