Fulfilling the Marital Bond’s Intended Purpose

Deen. That all-encompassing word that so concisely describes the relationship of Islaam to its adherents…a way of life. The concept of faith being an entity separate from one’s worldy affairs is foreign to Islaam. For the Muslim, the one who submits oneself completely to the Will and Qadr of Allaah, spiritual and worldly affairs coincide, so that one’s actions, whether they be the performance of the salaah or actions related to one’s career aspirations, should all be with the intention of seeking the pleasure of Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala. And one’s actions will not gain Allaah’s subhanahu wa ta’ala pleasure unless they are in accordance with what He subhanahu wa ta’ala has legislated, both in the Qur’aan and in the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

This connection between one’s actions and one’s submission to the commandments of their Rabb does not stop when it comes to marriage. Indeed from the benefits and blessings of Al-Islaam is Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala enjoining upon his male and female servants the bond of matrimony. However, in the Qur’aan, Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala not only enjoins the believing men and women to get married, but He ta’ala also explains the purpose behind this marital bond, a purpose that is connected to a husband and wife’s treatment of one another. Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala states in the Noble Qur’aan, the meaning of which is:

“And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect.” (Surat Ar-Ruum 30:21)

Also, Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala states in the Noble Qur’aan, the meaning of which is:

“It is He Who has created you from a single person, and He has created from him his wife, in order that he may enjoy the pleasure of living with her.” (Surat Al-A’raaf 7:189)

In Ibn Katheer’s tafseer of the above-mentioned ayah he states that it is “out of Allaah’s perfect mercy [that] He made their [Adam’s progeny’s] wives from their own kind, and created love and kindness between them.” So, inherent in the design of mankind is the establishment of a relationship of love and mercy between the spouses. For indeed, Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala could have made women of a different creation from men, but instead in His Infinite Wisdom and Mercy, he created men and women from the same essence in order that they may be a source of tranquility and pleasure for one another.

Once the purpose behind Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala creating men and women is established in the minds of the Believers, there can be no doubt that in order to gain the pleasure of the Creator, one must not only get married, but in doing so, must treat their spouse in the manner which Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala has intended them to: with affection and mercy. Without these components, one’s fulfillment of the marital bond is left incomplete, bereft of its intended benefits in this life and unworthy of its potential rewards in the next life. And indeed with Allaah lies all success.