Allah, most Gracious says about spouses in Quran:
Among His signs is [the fact] that He has created spouses for you
among yourselves so that you may dwell in tranquillity with them, and
He has planted love and mercy between you; In that are signs for
people who reflect.
Qur'an [30 : 21]
and says:
... they are a garment for you and you are a garment to them ...
Qur'an [2 : 187]
Consider this in conjunction with the following verse:
... the best garment is the garment of God-consciousness ...
Qur'an [7 : 26]
It requires that a husband and wife should be as garments for each
other. Just as garments are for protection, comfort, show and
concealment for human beings, Allah expects husbands and wives to be
for one another.
And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends of one
another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they
establish worship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allah and
His messenger; as for those, Allah will have mercy on them; Lo! Allah
is Mighty, Wise. Allah hath promised to believers - men and women -
gardens underwhich rivers flow, to dwell therein, and beautiful
mansions in gardens of everlasting bliss; but the greatest bliss is
the good pleasure of Allah: This is the supreme felicity.
Qur'an [9 : 71 - 72]
Whom to marry
Allah also gives us freedom and urges us to:
...Marry the women of your choice...
Qur'an [4 : 3]
Similarly, for the women:
"A girl came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and informed him that
her father had married her to her cousin against her wishes, whereupon
the Prophet allowed her to exercise her choice. She then said, 'I am
reconciled to what my father did but I wanted to make it known to
women that fathers have no say in this matter'".
[Ibn Majah]
Narrated Abdullah: "We were with the Prophet, peace be upon him, while
we were young and had no wealth whatever. So Allah's Apostle, peace be
upon him, said, `O young people! Whoever among you can marry, should
marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty, and
whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his
sexual power.'"
[Bukhari]
Narrated Abu Huraira: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, `A woman
is married for four things, i.e., her wealth, her family status, her
beauty, and her religion. So you should marry the religious woman
[otherwise] you will be a loser.'"
[Bukhari]
Mahr
Mahr is the gift that is given by the husband to his wife at wedding.
It can be anything in any amount, as agreed by the bride and
bride-groom. Allah says about Mahr in the Chapter `Woman' in Quran:
And give the women (on marriage) their Mahr as a free gift ...
Qur'an [4 : 4]
But if you had given the latter a cantar (of gold i.e. a great amount)
for dower (Mahr) take not the least bit of it back ...
Qur'an [4 : 20]
Narrated Sahl bin Sa`d: " A woman came to the Prophet,, and presented
herself to him (for marriage). He said, 'I am not in need of women
these days.' Then a man said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Marry her to me."
The Prophet asked him, 'What have you got?' He said, 'I have got
nothing.' The Prophet said, 'Give her something, even an iron ring.'
He said, 'I have got nothing.' The Prophet asked (him), "How much of
the Quran do you know (by heart)?' He said, 'So much and so much.' The
Prophet said, 'I have married her to you for what you know of the
Quran.' '"
[Bukhari]
Sex
Sex is seen as an act of procreation. An eye for the what is about to
come is kept open in this respect as well. The following prayer
reminds us of God, results of our actions, and reminds us of our
commitment to train our offsprings.
Narrated Ibn Abbas: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, `If anyone
of you, when having a sexual intercourse with his wife says:
In the name of Allah! O Allah! Protect me from Satan and protect what
you bestow upon us (i.e. an offspring) from Satan.
and if it is destined that they should have a child, then Satan will
never be able to harm him.'"
[Bukhari]
Walima
Walima is the wedding reception given to friends and family after the
consummation of marriage. It is given by the husband on this
auspicious occassion, showing his happiness and sharing it with the
friends and family.
Narrated Anas: When 'Abdur-Rahman came to us, the Prophet established
a bond of brotherhood between him and Sa'd bin Ar-Rabi'. Once the
Prophet said, "As you (O 'Abdur-Rahman) have married, give a wedding
banquet even if with one sheep." '"
[Bukhari]
Narrated Abu Musa: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, `Set the
captives free, accept the invitation (including to a wedding banquet),
and pay a visit to the patients.'"
[Bukhari]
By this saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him, it is also enjoined
upon us to join in the happiness of our brothers.
Duties and Rights of Husband and Wife after marriage
Allah informs us about the just rights of each other on us:
... the wife's rights (with regard to their husbands) are equal to the
(husband's) rights with regard to them, although men are a degree
above them; and Allah is Almighty, Wise.
Qur'an [2 : 228]
The statement that men are a degree above women means that authority
within the household has been give to the husband in preference to the
wife because a heavier burden has been placed on his shoulders by
another verse of the Quran which says:
Men shall take full care of women, because Allah has given the one
more strength than the other, and because they support them from their
means.Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard
in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard ...
Qur'an [4 : 34]
Advice to Husbands
Jabir Narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave these
instructions in his sermon during Farewell Pilgrimage: "Fear God
regarding women; for you have taken them [in marriage] with the trust
of God."
[Mishkat]
Narrated Aisha, God's messenger said: "Among the believers who show
most perfect faith are those who have the best disposition, and are
kindest to their families."
[Tirmidhi]
Narrated Abu Huraira, God's messenger said: "The believers who show
the most perfect faith are those who have the best disposition and the
best of you are those who are best to their wives."
[Tirmidhi]
Aisha has related that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, would
enter the house with a pleasing disposition and a smile on his lips.
[Uswa-i-Hasana]
Narrated Al-Aswad: "I asked Aisha, `What did the Prophet, peace be
upon him, do at home?' She said, `He used to work for his family and
when he heard the call for the prayer, he would go out.'"
[Bukhari]
Narrated Abu Huraira: "Allah's Apostle, peace be upon him, said, `The
woman is like a rib; if you try to straighten her, she will break. So
if you want to get benefit from her, do so while she still has some
bent.'"
[Bukhari]
Narrated Abu Huraira: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, `Whoever
believes in Allah and the Last Day should not hurt (trouble) his
neighbor. And I advise you to take care of women, for they are created
from a rib and the most crooked portion of the rib is its upper part;
if you try to straighten it, it will break, and if you leave it, it
will reamin crooked, so I urge you to take care of women.
[Bukhari]
Narrated Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As: "Allah's Apostle, peace be upon
him, said, `O Abdullah! Have I not been informed that you fast all the
day and stand in prayer all night?' I said, `Yes, O Allah's Apostle!'
He said, `Do not do that! Observe the fast sometimes and also leave
them at other times; stand up for the prayer at night and also sleep
at night. Your body has a right over you and your eyes have right over
you and your wife has a right over you.'"
[Bukhari]
Narrated Ibn Umar: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, `All of you
are guardians and are responsible for your wards. The ruler is a
guardian and the man is a guardian of his family; the lady is a
guardian who is responsible for her husband's house and his offspring;
and so all of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards.'"
[Bukhari]
Men should forbear any shortcomings of women in view of the following
verse of Quran:
Live with them in kindness; even if you dislike them, perhaps you
dislike something in which God has placed much good.
Qur'an [4 : 19]
Advice to Wives
Anas reported God's messenger as saying, "When a woman observes the
five times of prayer, fasts during Ramadan, preserves her chastity and
obeys her husband, she may enter by any of the gates of paradise she
wishes (in other words nothing will prevent her from entering
paradise)."
[Mishkat]
Um Salama reported God's messenger as saying, "Any woman who dies when
her husband is pleased with her will enter Paradise."
[Tirmidhi]
Abu Huraira told that when God's messenger was asked which woman was
best, he replied, "The one who fills [her husband] with joy when he
sees her, obeys him when he directs and does not oppose him by
displeasing him regarding her person or property."
[Mishkat]
Providing for wife and family
Quran teaches us to be reasonable and fair to our wives and family.
House women wherever you reside, accoding to your circumstances, and
do not harass them in order to make life difficult for them ...
Qur'an [65 : 6]
The statement of Allah in the chapter `Woman':
`Men are protectors and maintainers of women ...'
Qur'an [4 : 34]
Bukhari quotes the following verse under the heading: .. the
superiority of providing for one's family:
(O Mohammed!) They ask you what they ought to spend. Say: That which
is beyond your needs. Thus Allah make clear to you His Signs in order
that you may give thought (to it) in this worldly life and the
Hereafter ...
Qur'an [2 : 219-220]
Narrated Abu Masud Al-Ansari: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said,
`When a Muslim spends something on his family intending to receive
Allah's reward, it is regarded as Sadqa (spending in the name of God)
for him.'"
[Bukhari]
We should always remember that Allah is the one who gives us, we are
mere trustees of the funds.
Narrated Abu Huraira: "Allah's Apostle, peace be upon him, said,
`Allah said, O the son of Adam! Spend, and I shall spend on you.'"
[Bukhari]
Narrated Abu Huraira: "Allah's Apostle, peace be upon him, said, `The
best alms is that which you give when you are rich, and you should
support your dependants first.'"
[Bukhari]
Abu Huraira reported God's messenger, peace be upon him, as saying:
"Of the dinar (unit of currency) that you spend as a contribution in
God's path, or to set free a slave, or as charity given to a needy, or
to support your family, the one yielding the greatest reward is that
which you spent on your family.
[Muslim]
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