But if you are conciliatory and Godwary...

But if you are conciliatory and Godwary, Allah is indeed all-forgiving, all-merciful”.(9) Protracted separation (at most 4 months in Shia Law) without prior or subsequent arrangement with the wife, whether the husband is away willingly or unwillingly (for example due to war, imprisonment, or illness) is sufficient grounds for her to obtain a divorce from the judge. 15.

The Prophet (PBUH&HP) said: “Do not beat your wife.” He also said: “Do not strike your wife in the face.” The expiation for striking one’s slave in the face is to set him or her free on the spot. The Prophet (PBUH&HP) condemned the man who beats his wife in the day and then approaches her at night. Moreover, to beat her to the extent of inflicting serious injury is enough grounds for her to obtain a divorce from the judge. 16.

Caring for one’s wife’s sexual fulfilment is an obligation of religion. The Prophet (PBUH&HP) warned against rushing to gratify one’s pleasure and forgetting that of one’s wife. He also disliked that the husband should quickly withdraw from his wife afterwards, as it is a strain upon the wife. If she asks for intercourse, he should not refuse. Conclusion These are only some of the basic duties of the husband in Islam.

The state of marriage is part of one’s adherence to the Islamic Ethics and Worship of Almighty Allah and an exalted state of life indeed. In the words of the Prophet (PBUH&HP), it permits one to meet Allah “pure and cleansed”.

One’s behaviour towards one’s wife is the measure of the perfection of one’s belief as the Prophet (PBUH&HP) said: “The most complete of the believers in his belief is he who perfects his manners, and the best of you in manners are those who act best towards their wives”.(10) Marriage must be approached with utmost seriousness, entered with the purest intent, and cultivated religiously as it does not come cheaply and it carries immense reward.

The Prophet (PBUH&HP) called it “his way” and “half of the religion” and he also said: “Two rakat (prayer-cycles) of the married person are better than seventy rakat of the unmarried.”(11) He also warned that among the greatest of responsibilities that had been placed upon men is that pertaining to the treatment of their wives. Edited and Extracted from the article titled “Some Responsibilities of the Husband and Rights of the Wife in Islam” by Dr. G. F.

Haddad – Damascus” NOTES: ______________________ Qur’an 4:19. Qur’an 30:21 Amali Sheikh as-Sadugh, P.370. Qur’an 30:21. Qur’an 2:187.