We Should Develop A Friendship With Our Spouses

The Holy Prophet (saws) said ; "The most perfect believer in faith is the one whose character is finest and who is kindest to his wife."

[Tirmidhi & Nasa'i]

Explanation : We should develop a friendship with our spouses. The relationship based on friendship is more able to withstand outside pressures. We honor, trust, respect, accept and care for our friends , in spite of our differences. These are the aspects of friendship we should bring to our marriages.

Unfortunately the only aspect that people think of bringing to their marriage which is highly inappropriate is the buddy scenario . Shariah (Islamic law) has placed the husband in a leadership role within a family. This requires a certain decorum , which cannot be maintained if the spouses consider each other as pals.

This should not be taken to mean that the husband is a dictator but a shepherd who is responsible for and to his flock. This is a position of grave responsibility and places an enormous burden on the husband. Furthermore the children need to see their parents as friends but not as pals as this encourages disrespect.