Marriage- 2nd post

Why is marriage so important?

There are several factors that letus understand the importance of marriage. Some of these factors were covered during the last report. I further list for our readers the following:

1. Allah and His messenger commands to it:

Allah Almighy says in the chapter of Noor, verse 32:

((And marry the unmarried and the righteous of your female slaves. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His favours. And Allah is Bountiful and Knowing.))

Footnote: the statement ((righteous of you female slaves)) does not imply that women are slaves, however- it is a command to the muslims to marry the slave girls which the muslims may have had during that time. Slaves came as a result of war. If they were not kept as slaves, they faced the chance of being executed. The concept of slavery in the Islamic period is not the same as it were in during the period of ignorance or as the West refer to it today with al the negative attributes. Islam commanded that they be treated gently with justice, and infact encouraged the freeing of them. Proof of this is evident in the many expiations that are found in Islam's legislation whereby the command is for one to free a slave. Also, history has proven that the treatment Islam commandedtowards slaves, was a means of those slaves accepting Islam. So even though the term slave is used, the concept is different within the realm of Islam. Further proofof this is offerdin that Allah Almighty commandstowards the marriage of the righteous fromthem,which is a concept that istotally taboo in the western realm.

Footnote: Since delving into the points mentioned in the above footnote, I feel it appropiate to discuss the concept of domestic labour.For those that live in areas where domestic labour is viable, it is important to makesure that we treat them delicately. It is sad to witness certain events nowadays whereby muslims choose to use the most harsh words when addressing their employees. We need to realise that they are human beings like us, and the best way of inviting them to Islam, is to use our superior ability to conduct ourselves, especially because we have our beloved prophet (SAW) as our instructor!

Continuing with todays topic, I leave you with the following Prophetic guidance that shows our beloved Prophet (SAW) commanding towards marriage:

((O young men, those among you who can afford marriage should do so, for it helps lower the gaze and guard the private parts (from adultery). And for those that cannot afford it should fast, for fasting, is a repression (of desire) for him))

(Bukhari and Muslim)

And Allah knows best.

Until our next post,

Wasalam.

Sajid Ahmed Umar