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Lesson The Status of Family in Islam
An ummah consists of individuals who share common traits, such as roots, language, history, and, most importantly, religion. These individuals emerge from marital homes comprised of a husband and a wife. And they, in turn, will form new families that will produce sons and daughters who will continue this cycle, thus ensuring the ummah's survival and prosperity.
A healthy marital life is a foundation for the lifeline of the ummah. Thus, it is necessary to focus on its foundation: The family unit.
Although human beings are social by nature, they do not find comfort except by living in a society that connects them through various relationships. Additionally, they need to allocate certain feelings and emotions toward a limited number of individuals, those being other family members. The Family in Islam is a social unit consisting of a man and a woman brought together through religious matrimony and the offspring that come from that union.
Islam has taken care of this social entity; it starts with urging people to marry and care for the rights of the young, and it ends with regulating the relationship between all members of a single family. This family structure is the ideal display of a person's humanity as Allah, the most high, willed it.
The Status of the Family in Islam
Allah placed in both the man and the woman an instinctive inclination towards the other and made marriage a legitimate means to fulfill this inclination. He made it a means by which mankind can reproduce and preserve its existence. Therefore, Islam urges marriage through both the Quran and the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ.
The Islamic family is built upon two main pillars of support
Psychological Support
It includes the psychological comfort as well as affection and mercy as mentioned in the statement of Allah: ﴾And among His signs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves that you may find comfort in them, and He placed between you love and mercy. Indeed, there are signs in this for people who reflect.﴿ [Ar-Rum:21]
Material Support
It consists of fulfilling the terms of the marital contract and the commitment of each of the spouses to his or her duties, including expenditure, care, and taking care of the affairs of the home and what is in the best interests of the children.
Islam encourages both spouses to take care of this building and to preserve it so that it does not collapse and leave the individuals seeking shade within it dispersed. That is why Islam urges patience and the continuation of the marital relationship, even if passion between the two parties disappears. Allah says: ﴾And live with them kindly. And if you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and Allah places in it much good.﴿ [An-Nisa:19]
