The Husband Wife Relationship (In Islam) Marriage In Islam
28 August 2025
Whatever meaning people assign to Marriage Islam views it as a strong bond, a challenging commitment in the fullest sense of the word. It is a commitment to life itself, to society and to the dignified, meaningful survival of the human race. It is a commitment that married partners make to self realisation, love and peace, compassion and serenity, comfort and hope. All this is because marriage in Islam is regarded first and foremost as a righteous act, an act of responsible devotion. Sexual control may be moral triumph, reproduction a social necessity or service, and sound health a gratifying state of mind yet, these values and purposes of marriage would take on a special meaning and be reinforced if they are intertwined with the idea of God, conceived also as religious commitments and internalised as divine blessings, and this seems to be the focal point of marriage in Islam to paraphrase some “QURANlC VERSES, the call is addressed to mankind to be dutiful to God, who created them from a single soul and from it or of it created its mate and from the two of them scattered abroad many men and women ( 4 : 1). lt was God , who created mankind out of one living soul, and created of that soul a spouse so that he might find comfort and rest in her ( 7 : 107), and it is a sign of God that he has created for men, for themselves, mates to seek in their company, peace and tranquillity, and has set between them matual love and mercy. Surely, in that are signes for these who contemplate (30: 21). Even, at the most trying times of married life and in the midst of legal disputes and litigation, the “QURAN” , remind the parties of Gods law. It commands them to be kind to one another. Truly charitable towards one another and above all dutiful to God.
It is not worthy that the Islamic provisions of marriage apply men and women equally. For example, if celibacy is not recommended for men, it is equally so for women. This is in recognition of the fact that womens needs are equally legitimate and are seriously taken into consideration. Infact, Islam regards marriage to be the normal, natural course for women just as it is for men. It may even be more so for women because it assures them among other things, of relative commit security. This significant additional advantage for women does not, however , characterise marriage as a purely economic transaction. Infact, the least focal aspect of marriage in Islam is the economic factor, no matter, how powerful this may be the Prophet(SAW) is reported to have said that a woman is ordinarily sought as wife for her wealth, for her beauty., for the nobility of her stock, or for her religious qualities but blessed and fortunate is he who chooses his mate (wife) for piety in preferences to everything else. The QURAN commands marriage to the houseless and the pious even though they may be poor and slaves (24:32). On the other hand , whatever marriage gifts a man gives his prospective wife belongs to her and whatever she may have acquired prior to or after marriage is hers alone. There is no necessary community of property of husbands and wives, further more, it is the husband who is responsible for the maintenance and economic security of the family. The husband must even provide the wife with the kind of help and service to which she was used before marriage, and according to some scholars , the wife is no under legal obligations to do the routine homework, although she may do so and usually does for some reason or other, e.g, cooperation , economic etc. In Rashids viewpoint, a good loving wife is the greatest blessing for a man (or husband) family makes progress when the husband is dear to his wife every time.
The Husband Wife Relationship (In Islam)
With piety as the basis of mate selection and with the earnest satisfaction of the conditions of marriages, the parties should be well on the way to a happy and fulfilling married life. However, Islam goes much further than this in setting the course of behavior for husbands and wives. Many are the statements, of the QURAN and the SUNNAH , that kindness and equity , compassion and love, sympathy and consideration, patience and good will. The Prophet (SAW) goes as far as to declare that the best Muslim is the one who is best to his family and the greatest, most blessed joy in life is a good and righteous wife.
The consummation of marriage creates new roles for the parties concerned, each role is a set of equitable, proportionate rights and obligations. The role of the husband revolves round the moral principal that is the solemn duty to God to treat his wife with kindness, honour, patience, love and sympathy, to keep her honourably or free from the marital bond honourably, and to cause her no harm or grief (AL QURAN 2 : 229,4:19). The role of the wife is summarised in the verse that women have rights even as they have duties, according to what is equitable, but men have a degree over them (2:228). This degree is usually interpretted by Muslim scholars in conjunction with another passage which states, among other things, that men are trustees, guardians and protectors of women because God has made some of them excel others and because men expand of their means (QURAN 4 : 34). This degree may be likened to what sociologists call “Instrumental Leadership” or external authority in the house hold due to the division of labour and role of differentiation of one sex to the other .
THE WIFE’S RIGHTS : THE HUSBAND’S OBLIGATIONS
Translated into rules of behavior , these ethical principles allocate to the wife certain rights and corresponding obligations. Because the QURAN and the SUNNAH of the Prophet (SAW) , have commended kindness to women, it is the husband’s duty to consort with his wife in an equitable and kind manner . One specific consequence of this Divine command is his responsibility for the full maintenance of the wife, a duty which he must discharge cheerfully, without reproach, injury or condescence.
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COMPONENTS OF MAINTENANCE
Maintenance entails the wives incontestable rights of lodging, clothing, nourishing and general care and well being. The_wife’s residence must be adequate so as to provide her with the reasonable level of privacy, of the marriage. What is true of the residence is true of clothing, food, and general care. The wife has the right to be clothed, fed and cared for by the husband. In accordance with his means and her style of life. These rights are to be exercised without extravagance or miserliness.
NON-MATERIAL RIGHTS
The wifes material rights are not her only assurance and securities . She has other rights of a moral nature, and they are equally bindingand specific. A husband is commanded by the law of God. To treat his wife with equity. , to respect her feelings and show her kindness and consideration in every respect. She is not to be shown any aversion by the husband or subjected to suspense and uncertainty. A corollary of this rule is that no man is allowed to keep his wife with the intention of inflicting harm on her or hindering her freedom. If he has no love of sympathy for her , she has the right to demand freedom from the marital bond, and no one may stand in her way to a new life.
THE WIFES OBLIGATIONS, THE HUSBANDS RIGHTS
The main obligation of the wife as partner in a marital relationship is to contribute to the success and blessfulness of the marriage as much as possible. She must be attentive to the comfort and well being f her mate (husband). She should neither offend him nor hurt his feelings. Perhaps nothing can illustrate the point better than the QURANIC statement which describes the righteous people as those who pray.
Our Lord grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the joy and comfort of our eyes and guide us to be the models of righteousness!
This is the basis on which all the wife’s obligations rest and from which they flow. To fulfil this basic obligation, the wife must be faithful, trustworthy, honest, well-charactered, and loving more specifically. She must not deceive her mate husband by deliberately avoiding conception lest it deprives him of ligitimate progeny. Nor must she allow any other person to have access to that which is exclusively, the husband’s right i.e sexual intimacy. A corollary of this is that she must not receive or entertain strange males in her home without his knowledge and consent. Nor should she accept their gifts without his approval. This is probably meant to avoid jealously, suspicion, gossip, etc and also to maintain the integrity of all parties concerned. The husband’s possessions are her trust. If she has access to any portion thereof, or if she is entrusted with any fund. She must discharge her duty wisely and thriftily. She should not lend or dispose of any of his belongings without his permission.
With respect to intimacy, the wife is to make herself desirable to be attractive responsive and cooperative. A wife should, of course, give due consideration to her health and decency. Moreover the wife is not permitted to do anything that may render her companionship less desirable or les gratifying. If she does any such thing or neglects herself. The husband has the right to interfere with her freedom to rectify the situation. To ensure maximum self fulfilment for both partners, the husband is not permitted to do anything on his part that my impede the wife’s gratification.
