“Your spouses are a garment for you as you are for them.” (Quran, 2:187)
Marriage remains an important part of any Muslim’s life – Islam encourages us to better understand love, marital equality, and gender roles within marriage in order to become both better spouses and Muslims.
Let us therefore look into the Holy Quran – the definite authoritative word of God – to understand the true importance of marriage. If we want to truly appreciate both the beauty of marriage and the blessings of having a spouse, we must understand what Allah asks of us when it comes to marriage.
Here are just five examples from the Quran on the depth of faith one can hope to achieve through marriage:
1. Find comfort in your spouse
“And one of His signs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves so that you may find comfort in them. And He has placed between you compassion and mercy. Surely in this are signs for people who reflect.” (Quran, 30:21)
The Holy Quran reminds us here that marriage and living with a spouse should be about comfort and happiness – after all, we need to remember that getting married is a blessing from Allah Himself. It is also a chance to learn about compassion, mercy, and love – which in turn can help us grow in our faith and love for Allah as well.
2. Every soul has a match
“It is He who created you from one soul and created from it its mate that he might dwell in security with her.” (Quran, 7:189)
We must take comfort in knowing that Allah provides for us in more ways than we can ever comprehend – and even if it does not manifest in a way we can understand or agree with, all of our souls have been granted a match to bring us comfort either in this world or the next.
3. A garment for each other
“Your spouses are a garment for you as you are for them.” (Quran, 2:187)
While the deeper meanings of the verses of the Quran are beyond our comprehension, this beautiful verse is a reminder of the beauty of having a spouse. By being a garment for each other, we are more than just a partner – we are a covering, a comfort, and a layer of beauty for each other to grow in both our relationship with each other and with Allah.
4. Each spouse has a role
“Men are the caretakers of women, as men have been provisioned by Allah over women and tasked with supporting them financially. And righteous women are devoutly obedient and, when alone, protective of what Allah has entrusted them with.” (Quran, 4:34)
Here, the Holy Quran tells us that each spouse has a role to play in the marriage – and by supporting each other and by playing to one’s strengths, the relationship can better grow when each spouse is working towards bettering themselves to work as a team.
5. Honor the bond between husband and wife
“O humanity! Be mindful of your Lord Who created you from a single soul, and from it He created its mate, and through both He spread countless men and women. And be mindful of Allah — in Whose Name you appeal to one another — and honour family ties. Surely Allah is ever Watchful over you.” (Quran, 4:1)
By reminding us that we all come from Adam and Eve, the Quran tells us that having a spouse and being in a marriage is to honor the bonds between a man and woman that have been proscribed by Allah since the beginning of humankind – we must, therefore, treat marriage as a deeply faithful act of worship towards Allah and treat the relationship we have with our spouse with the utmost respect.
