CHAPTER 6

MARRIAGE IN ISLAM

The coming together of a man and a woman in marriage is one of the most unique events in the universe. All the things created in the universe are created in pairs, but the compatibility between a man and a woman cannot be found in any other created thing. When a man and a woman come together as partners for life, it is evident that they have been made for each other through a conscious plan.

Marriage is not simply a social institution. In Islam, it has a far more significant importance than this. According to the Islamic concept of life, God Almighty created an ideal world, Paradise. Paradise is a perfect and eternal world. God wants to select those women and men who may qualify to settle in this highly refined colony of Paradise. God provided men and women with free will for this selection or test whilst settling them on earth.

Adjustment is the only formula for a successful married life. But this is not adjustment for the sake of adjustment; it is adjustment for a higher purpose, that is, to create a normal environment in which it will be possible to achieve the real purpose of married life. Married life is not simply co-travelling; it is rather co-sharing. Both partners, after married life, are born with different qualities and need to share them with each other so that both partners may develop their personalities in a better way.

Life is like a cogwheel. If the man has one cog, the woman has the other cog, and both need communion so that a joint effort may be possible. Being aware of this fact, both are willing to adjust for the sake of mutual sharing. This leads to a successful married life.