Men
are guardians over women by (right of) what Allah has given one over the other
and what they spend from their wealth. (An-Nisa, 4: 35)
In the same verse Allah (swt) continues
to say that righteous women should be devoutly obedient, guarding in (the
husband’s) absence what Allah would have them guard, even if nobody is watching
them.
Therefore, based on this Qur'anic verse,
the husband’s responsibility to fulfill his duties towards his wives is as
important as those of the wives (or wife, should he have only one) towards
their husband. And the Qur'an makes us understand that a husband has a little
more authority upon his wife/wives than the latter upon him.
This verse of the Qur'an also shows that
both man and wife enjoy each, rights (which have been bestowed to them by
Allah) and which they have the right to demand from each other. And Allah (swt)
has also showed the relation and responsibility which must exist between
husband and wife whereby each one knows his/her rights.
Allah says in the Holy Quran: “They are an
apparel (garment) for you and you are an apparel for them.” (2: 188)
By revealing this verse, Allah (swt)
wanted to make us understand that the rights of both the husband and wife are
equal. You all know that garments are meant to cover our body, especially its
defects. Moreover, garments are means to embellish ourselves, man and woman and
to protect us from heat and cold.
By likening the
husband and wife as garments, Islam wants to show that a good wife is one who
protects the honour and dignity of her husband, and she does not go outside and
relate to creatures the defects/weaknesses of her husband, and similarly a good
husband is one who does not humiliate, blame or relate the defects/weaknesses
of his wife with others. This is the beauty of Islam, whereas the garment
mentioned means Purdah (covering).
The beauty therein is the way in which the woman must neither uncover her
beauty nor her clothing before other men. She is to reserve that right to her
husband. As for the husband, he is to remain loyal to his life (he must not
lead a bad life). It is then that there shall be peace, tranquillity and
blessings in their household.
Like clothing
hides the defects of one’s body and enhance the elegance of someone, likewise
man and wife should become clothing for each other by hiding the
defects/weaknesses of the other and to make apparent only his/her good side. Instead
of fighting with one another and reclaim his/her rights, and thus consequently
bringing doom to their married life, it would have been good if both spouses
meditate on the Holy Qur'an and see how Allah (swt) has clarified this issue in
the Qur'an; that is on the rights which a husband has, and also on the rights
which a wife has. And therefore it will become easier for them to understand
each other and the responsibilities which they should shoulder in their marital
life. In this way, many a fight can be avoided. Each partner/spouse should
understand each other’s rights; such rights as taught by Allah to the Muslims
in the Qur'an.
The husband must
live in a good way with his wife/wives and if ever the wife does something
which does not please him or ignore him or talk to him in a sarcastic way,
Allah says in the Holy Qur'an that patience is better in such cases, and to live
with her in a convenient manner, even if she does not completely please him.
Hazrat Muhammad
(saw) advised that a husband should not have rancour towards his wife, even if
the latter has some defects/bad traits, or she says such things as to offend
her husband. Therefore, the husband should not hate her for she must have some
good qualities also.
In another
Hadith, Hazrat Muhammad (saw) said: “Best
among you are those who behave well with their women.”
On the occasion of the last pilgrimage, Hazrat Muhammad (saw) said: “Oh people… Do treat your women well and be
kind to them.”
Those commandments of Allah and of His
Messenger (saw) show clearly the duties of a husband towards his wives. All
husbands do not have the same means of living like the others to provide for
their wives, to give them their necessities. A husband depends on his limited
means - he spends from within that limit – to please his wife/wives, that is,
according to his means. Verily, Allah does not like extravagant.
Significance of Conjugal Relations
The right of the wife is also to claim
her right for sexual relations with her husband. The Shariah (Islamic Laws) did not put any restriction to this. If a
husband is not pleasing his wife sexually, he has indeed failed in “Haquq-ul-Ibad”, that is, he failed in
fulfilling his right towards his wife and he should seek (legal) ways to
fortify himself – be it with one wife or several – and he should be equitable
(towards them). The wife/wives in return should not abuse of this right and not
annoy her husband on the subject. Bear in mind that the husband also is a human
being and the wife must understand him also, understand that sometimes he can
be tired with problems at work, stress or health problems. This must not become
a major issue whereby husband and wife fight over this matter, and the wife
must understand also that if her husband has more than one wife, then he should
be equitable to them; each their turn. Therefore, it is very important that a
husband pleases his wife sexually, and if the wife wants to have sexual
relations, it is her right.
I say this because sometimes, it does
happen that when a husband is not satisfying his wife sexually the latter
leaves the house or falls prey to adultery. Thus, it is very important that I
mention this fundamental right of the wife, and to show that importance, I
relate to you an anecdote which happened in the time of Hazrat Umar (ra) (when
he was caliph). Once, during his night tour of the town of Madina, Hazrat Umar
(ra) came by a house from where he heard the voice of a woman reading a poem
which was clearly reflecting her state of minds: “Were it not that I fear disobeying a command of Allah, I would have
erred (commit adultery).”
The next day,
Hazrat Umar (ra) enquired about the woman’s situation and learnt that her
husband has gone since a very long time to do “Jihad” and the woman could not
bear staying anymore far away from her husband. Upon hearing this, Hazrat Umar
(ra) was sad for her and enquired from his daughter, Hazrat Hafsa (ra), the
wife of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (saw), how long could a wife remain
without her husband? Therefore Hazrat Hafsa (ra) replied him: “Four months”.
Hazrat Umar (ra), therefore, despatched letters in all military camps to announce that all married
soldiers do not have the right to remain away from home more than four months.
Neglect of Family Rights in the Nizam-e-Jamaat
I ponder over
this wise decision taken by Hazrat Amir’ul Mumineen Umar (ra). Like I said in
the past in my Friday Sermons and other discourses, I ask myself that question:
is the Jamaat Ahmadiyya not aware of this?
When a missionary becomes “Waqf-e-Zindagi” (Dedicating his life
for Islam), they do not hesitate to separate the missionary with his wife for
three years or more than three years. When the missionary goes abroad, he has
to cater for all his needs, and his wife is not by his side to take care of
him. As for those “grand personalities” in the Jamaat who are in authority,
when they go abroad, for some days or even weeks, they take along with them
wives and children or other family members should accompany them. Is the
missionary not a human then?!!! Does his wife have to sacrifice her husband for
more than 3 years, and vice-versa? Is there not human/manly blood running in
his body? What kind of injustice they do with all these missionaries who have
to leave wives and children and go abroad to work! And it is a fact
that Jamaat had blessed that Jamaat; there is no dearth of money to send their
families along with those missionaries. When those missionaries are deprived of
their rights, this is an abuse of power which those life-givers (Waqf-e-Zindagi) in the Jamaat
Ahmadiyya.
Insha-Allah, in the Jamaat
Ul Sahih Al Islam, this kind of abuse of power and injustice shall not be done
on those people who devote their lives to work for the cause of Allah. Insha-Allah. Even after my death, and
those who shall take over (take my place as head), I do not want that there is
this kind of abuse of power.
I come back on
the subject-matter of my sermon (this is
not my subject today, but Insha-Allah, may Allah (swt) give me the Tawfiq to
talk more on this kind of injustice on another occasion).
When the wife
commits a wrong, the husband must rectify that wrong/mistake (depending on the gravity of the matter),
sometimes with politesse, anger or advice/talk to her with love.
Husbands should
make it their duty; make it a must to leave home for work with a Smile (on their lips) and Salaam (on their tongue). If the wife of
a man falls ill, it is his duty to tender to her needs, taking care of her in
her illness and treating her with lots of tenderness. And in that period when
his wife is ill, the man should take care of the kids, and busy himself with
the house chores and even cook so as not to disturb his wife. It is in these
kinds of situations that true love is made apparent. Moreover, if a woman wants
to visit her family members, her husband must make it a duty to take her to
visit her near kin. A man must never relate to others the confidential marital
life which he shares with his wife/wives, especially also their private
conjugal moments. He must keep those moments strictly private and secret for
himself.
In a Hadith,
Hazrat Muhammad (saw) has said: People whom Allah (swt) detests more is the one
who commerce with his wife in private and then go to relate that which happened
publicly with others. – Bear in mind, if the woman hears about those talks, how
she would lose trust in her husband!
If some disputes
cropped up between husband and wife, the husband must not on an impulse and
with anger give ‘Talaq’ (Islamic
divorce). Each spouse must keep calm and let their anger cool down, and after
that they must ponder over the matter with a cool head. Marriage is not a joke
and Talaq (divorce) should not be
given impulsively. Moreover, the wife also should not demand that her husband
divorce her (give her Talaq).
Behind the rising Divorce Rates
Bear in
mind, nowadays very often youths who are getting married, especially the young
girls belonging to wealthy families, or who hold a good job position and
earning more than their (prospective) husbands, therefore after the wedding
when these girls becomes the brides of the homes of their husbands, they tend
to command their husbands and the latter lose whatever authority they may have
on these wives.
This state of
things is very recurrent in a household. If the husband is too sweet and
showers his wife with love, therefore he tolerates all things, giving her all
freedom, even if it means that the woman should go out alone and come back home
the time she wants, and she abuses on her kind-hearted husband. This kind of
wife exceeds of limits and starts commanding her husband and if ever the latter
raises his voice against her, she angrily leave home along with her belongings
and return back to her parents’ home. After that she begins backbiting the husband,
letting people believe that her husband was a horrible man. This is the
consequence is a husband gives too much liberty/freedom to his wife.
The result
can be shocking in terms of a broken married life and if the woman has a job
and is in constant contact with many people, she may be desirous to lead the
lives which others live and does not like to be ordered around. This is how
many seek ‘Talaq’ from their
husbands, when verily they (those kinds of wives) along with their family
members know nothing of the teachings of Islam. They keep pestering their
husbands to give them divorce. When the husband does not want to give his wife
divorce, then the wife, thinking that she is a superior kind of woman and is
indispensable in the life of her husband, she seeks to hammer on him her
authority. Verily, Allah detests this.
In a Hadith,
Hazrat Muhammad (saw) said that among all permissible (Halal) things, the most
detestable (in the sight of Allah) is ‘Talaq’
(divorce). (Abu Dawud).
There are some
men who without thinking over the consequences of their act, they give Talaq to their wives and there are those
kinds of women who seek Talaq from
their husbands. If they are deprived of ‘Talaq’,
these women seek special divorce (called ‘Khula’)
when they verily do not know what is a Khula
and in which situation to give one to their husbands and when they do not even
know how to prepare one! The meaning of ‘Khula’
itself eludes them. There are many people who pretend that they are scholars
but verily they know nothing of a true Khula
and how to prepare one and in which circumstance to let the woman issue one.
Be very careful
before giving Talaq or asking for Talaq, for afterwards you shall regret
this all lifelong. And a woman must think a lot before giving Khula, because a Khula is not like a Talaq,
and there is no prescribed solution for her which exists if tomorrow she
regrets her decision to come back to her ex-husband. This is so, because Khula is absolutely final. Therefore, be
careful. You shall not see the consequences (of that decision) on the spot, but
in the long-term you (meaning, those women who take their Khula on an impulse) they shall see its consequences.
I thus end on
this note the subject-matter of my Friday Sermon. May each of us be very
careful and think well before doing things which may prove to be grievous, with
bad consequences later on. Insha-Allah.
Ameen.
-Extracts from the Friday Sermon of January 23, 2015 delivered by the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius.