Universal Rights of Spouses in Islamic Marriage

The are three categories of marital rights in Islam: 1 UNIVERSAL RIGHTS (shared rights/both genders) These are mutual or shared rights enjoyed by both spouses and apply equally regardless of gender. The majority of rights fall under this category. 2 ROLE-BASED RIGHTS (gender specific) The husband has certain rights that the wife doesn’t because of the specific role he plays. Likewise, the wife has certain rights that the husband doesn’t because of the specific role she plays. 3 SITUATIONAL RIGHTS (relative rights) These are rights that are relative to specific situations or circumstances experienced by both spouses in a marriage. “The rights of wives are similar to the rights of husbands, according to what is Maʿruf (equitable), …" How ibn ‘Abbas (r) understood the first part of this verse. He said , “Surely, I love to adorn for my wife, just like I love for her to adorn for me because Allah said, “The rights of wives are similar to the rights of husbands, according to what is Maʿruf (equitable).” (Quran). The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand other people are safe.” Thus, a Muslim husband and a Muslim wife should feel safe from each other, verbally and physically. The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The believer is one from whom people feel safe over their lives and their property.” Thus, a believing husband and a believing wife should not put each other’s lives and property in danger. They should feel safe and secure. The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever relieves a believer from one of the worries of this world, Allah will relieve them from one of the worries of the Day of Resurrection. Thus, if a husband and wife relieve each other’s worry, Allah will relieve them from one of the worries of the Day of Resurrection. The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever hides the faults of a Muslim, Allah will hide their faults in this world and in the hereafter.” Thus, if a husband and wife hide each other’s faults, Allah will hide their faults in this world and the next. The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Allah keeps helping a person as long as they are helping their fellow humans.” Thus, as long as the husband and wife are helping each other, Allah is helping them. The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Fear Allah wheresoever you may be. Follow up a bad deed with a good deed. It will be wipe it out. And interact with people with good character.” Thus, if you did something bad to your spouse, apologize, and do something good for them. Always interact with your spouse with the best conduct and speech. Taqwa, linguistically, means to protect oneself. The idea is to protect oneself from harm and punishment in this life and/or the next life by staying away from haram. If you do something bad, do not despair. Ask Allah for forgiveness and follow up with a good deed to wipe it off your record. Don’t carry guilt and shame forever (p144). The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Surely, the believers with the most perfect faith are those who are the best in character and most kind to their families.” How to become a more perfect believer? Be good in character and be kind to your family. The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The best amongst you are the ones who are best to their families.” How to become the best? Be good to your spouse and family. The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Do you know what backbiting is?” They replied, “Allah and His messenger know best.” He said, “To mention something about your fellow Muslim anything they dislike.” It was said, “What do you say if the fault actually exists in them?” He said, “If the fault you mentioned is in them, then you have indeed backbit them. If it does not exist in them, then you have slandered them.” The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever hides the faults of a Muslim, Allah will hide their faults in this world and in the hereafter.” We learned this hadith earlier. The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand other people are safe.” We learned this hadith earlier. The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let them speak good or remain silent.” We learned this hadith earlier. Backbiting and slandering are some of the evilest acts. They cause a lot of harm to others, hurt feelings, create hatred, and cause infighting in the family and the community. They are major sins! The messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The slanderer will not enter Jannah.” They both have the right to: Physical intimacy. Become father/mother. The Successful Husband – How To Treat Your Wife Right. The Successful Wife – How To Treat Your Husband Right. Please subscribe, like, and share!