Marriage is the essential thing in life and depends on the binding relationship between a man and a woman in order to form a healthy independent family intellectually and religiously.
When the small family is formed by marriage between a man and a woman, this leads to the formation of the religious and human community.
The relationship between the spouses depends on many things:
- The relationship between the spouses depends on affection and mercy, which is the basic principle in Islam and all actions and behaviors from the spouses express about Islam.
- The man and woman afford great responsibility when they marry, so they must be aware.
- One of the most important concepts between spouses is mutual understanding and respect, which creates a healthy environment out of problems for them and for their children.
- Love is not a priority in marriage, but when there is respect and honesty between the spouses, love will be created between them and will be reflected on the children.
The look at the concept and importance of marriage… How has it changed?
The importance of marriage lies in building a cultural and human society through procreation and raising children well, so that they become significant in the future and work towards its construction.
One of the main advantages of marriage is finding a life partner who reciprocates feelings, respect, and interests with the partner.
There are several important criteria for marriage between a man and a woman:
- Both must be Islamic for the marriage to be valid.
- It is important for the spouses to have awareness, a wise mind, and good health.
- The woman should be of a mature age capable of bearing responsibility and childbirth, and the man should also be mature enough.
- Values and morals are the most important thing between the spouses, with good interaction.
- They should have a good reputation in their neighborhood in order to build a family with a good reputation capable of integrating into the Islamic community.
- Work and money are the most important criteria for marriage, the man may not be able to bear responsibility and provide for his wife’s basic needs if he does not have a job.
- In this era, education has become essential for marriage, it affects the children and the ability of the spouses to educate them correctly in religious steps.
Marriage in Islam
Marriage in Islam is one of the noblest things that the Prophet encouraged, and it is a social duty to preserve the continuation of human existence while getting rid of corruption and moral decay.
And the prominent advantages of marriage are:
- Marriage is following the commands of Allah and Prophet Mohamad.
- It also establishes the happiness between spouses due to the affection and respect with good interaction.
- Therefore, marriage is the foundation for increasing obedience to Allah and the Prophet.
- This will keep you away from the prohibited things that Allah has forbidden for the Islamic people.
The importance of marriage in Islam
The importance of marriage in Islam lies in strengthening relationships between people and in having many children with good character and religion.
And having children capable of building a religious community following the religious laws, then they will try to avoid everything that God has forbidden for people.
There are several conditions for the validity of marriage:
- The presence of two male witnesses, or one man and two women, who are Muslim, sane and adult.
- The testimony of the branches of the spouses, or one of them is right and there is not any problem.
- If the daughter is an adult and sane, she can give approval, and she can present at the contract herself.
- The marriage is valid with the presence of one witness or two women.
How has the concept of marriage changed over time?
The concept of marriage has varied over time.
In the past, the roles of spouses were more restrictive, with specific social roles for the husband and wife.
Over time, we have seen an increase in flexibility in these roles and a growing diversity of cultures and societies in relation to these roles.
The concept of marriage has changed over time from one civilization to another and from one generation to another as a result of social, economic, cultural and religious.
Here are some differences in the concept of marriage throughout the ages:
- In the past, marriage was usually arranged by the parents, but love is considered the main factor in our era, and young people have become more independent in choosing their true partners.
- Marriage used to be for wealth collection and prestigious families, but nowadays, marriage is more focused on love and emotion.
- Many people’s concept of marriage has changed with the development of technology and social media, making it easier to search for a life partner.
What is the main purpose of marriage?
Marriage is a social institution with multiple and diverse goals depending on the culture and social values of the society.
The main goals of marriage is:
- Forming a family and having children is one of the most prominent goals to expand the family and establish a suitable environment for developing their personalities.
- Certainly, economic and social stability represents an essential goal of marriage as well, the psychological stability of the spouses can increase along with an improvement in their financial situation.
- Marriage provides comfort with security for the spouses and children, it includes emotional support and encouragement among them. It also strengthens social and cultural traditions.
- Marriage also involves providing cooperation between spouses in solving problems, which has a positive impact on society.
How do young men and women view marriage today?
The opinions of young men and women about the concept and importance of marriage.
Some of them see it as the primary source of happiness in life, while others see it as a secondary matter in life.
Here are the most prominent ideas of them:
- Some people believe that marriage limits the freedom of the spouses and increases restrictions.
- They see that marriage increases responsibility for both.
- Marriage requires a lot of money that young people do not have, so the opportunities for marriage are limited.
- And some of them see marriage as an opportunity to prove oneself and take on responsibility.
- Some see education as more important than marriage, so the idea of marriage is postponed until completing the education period.
- Some young people abstain from marriage due to their inability to complete their education, especially in a cultural society that places great emphasis on women’s education.
The impact of different concepts of marriage on family building
The difference in the concept of marriage can also affect the construction of the family itself.
The concept of marriage also includes expectations about roles and responsibilities within the family.
If the spouses do not agree on how to distribute these roles, it can lead to conflicts within the family.
Different ideas about marriage can affect the building of the family, and there are both positives and negatives that vary depending on the family members’ ideas like:
- When a father focuses on religious thought, he instills ideas about marriage in his children and its importance in building the community.
- Cultural changes and societal developments have negatively affected family construction and the inability of young people to marry has led them to avoid the idea of marriage.
- Divorce causes many problems for children, with psychological illnesses that can affect their lives and the community around them.
- The mother is essential in building the family, and her ability to raise children in a healthy manner.
The impact of different concepts of marriage on children
Children are the foundation in the marriage between the spouses to build a healthy and human society.
There are many positives and negatives that affect children:
- When there is love and respect between the spouses, this generates positive thoughts in the children.
- When there are problems between the spouses that may lead to divorce, this generates negative thoughts in the children and may cause psychological and physical illnesses.
- Children are the foundation in increasing love and affection between the spouses, so it is necessary to try to avoid marital problems that negatively affect them and the society.