Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
6. The Rights of Husband and Wife
~ 140 ~
Once, a newly married man found when he brought
his wife home that she was not gifted with feminine
graces. Instead of having a slender figure she was
stout like a man. He was put off by her not being
slim as he would have liked. But events soon took a
strange turn. Having met with an accident, he was
not able to work hard. Now his stout wife decided
to support her husband and worked hard to make
money. Being sturdy, she succeeded in earning
money as well as looking after the home. In this
way the family suffered no setback. Now the
husband realized that the woman he had taken as a
curse was indeed a blessing in disguise. Although
his wife was not gifted with slimness, she had been
blessed with another quality which had proved so
precious at his time of need.
It is this aspect of life which has been emphasized in
the Qur’an in these words:
Take in marriage these women among you
who are single and those of your male and
female slaves who are virtuous. If they are
poor, God will enrich them from His own
abundance.
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