And the dearest one to me is the one who is kindest to my creatures...

And the dearest one to me is the one who is kindest to my creatures, and one who exerts the most effort to satisfy their needs (12) Based on what was said, the love of a man for a woman and the love of a woman for a man is one of the signs of God which is placed in the heart. It is one of the special signs of God’s existence, and one of His Special Blessings. This love is the best reason for the establishment of a healthy mutual life, and its continuation.

It is the cause of happiness and pleasure in life. That is why it is necessary to maintain and try to strengthen it and to avoid actions which might harm it. The Prophet of Islam (PBUHH) said: When a man’s expression of love to his wife will never be removed from her heart (13) It must be noticed that love of one’s wife should not become too excessive, since this will also prevent a man from walking on the right path and doing good deeds.

One should especially be careful that his wife does not try to rule over him through his love for her, and force her excess wants upon him. A man’s love and affection to his wife or anything else should be subject to his belief in God and the Day of Judgment, and it should not prevent him from progress towards perfection and doing good deeds.

However, if the love for women should become bedrock for sin and wastefulness, or jealousy and greed, or abstaining from doing obligatory religious acts, then this kind of love -accompanied by a satanic state- is far away from God’s pleasure and satisfaction. 3. Moderate Expectation Each man and woman has his/her own physical and spiritual strength, which can only be realized after some time of natural, and moral encounters.

A husband and wife get to know each other’s physical and spiritual status and get to understand one another after a while. They must realize that God has considered two very important facts when He ordained duties upon man. Firstly, He has not required us to do what is beyond our capabilities. Secondly, He has made our moral and religious responsibilities based on our ability, not our power. Most researchers believe that our responsibility is much less than our capability.

This is only due to God’s kindness and mercy upon His servants. He has referred to this fact in verses 233 and 286 of Chapter 2, verse 152 of Chapter 6 and verse 42 of Chapter 7 and verse 62 of Chapter 23 in the Holy Quran that he will task a soul except based on its capacity.