The Miracle of Marriage

Transcendent Joy: The Enchantment of Marriage, the Secrets of the Seed, and Love’s Spiritual Path in the Light of the Two Weighty Things

Introduction and the Need for This Book

*Marriage: A Miracle (Transcendent Joy)* is the first volume in a five-book series of practical works on family life, drawn from the reference work *The University of Marriage*. Through philosophical and contemplative exposition, the author shows that marriage is not merely a social contract or an instinctual bond. It is the most momentous event in earthly life: a divine miracle that opens the soul to higher horizons and the experience of transcendent joy.

Approach and Methodology

With an analytical structure grounded in the Qur’an’s verses on divine unity and in the example of the Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), the book examines the stages of human development, the spiritual attractions between women and men, and the emotional architecture of family life. It reveals how married life brings the material world into connection with the heavenly realm.

Key Themes

• Understanding marriage as a miracle: a turning point that transforms one’s sense of life and brings about a rebirth
• Discovering the secrets of the seed’s creation, the development of the embryo, and the artistry of the One Creator in the continuation of the human race
• Exploring the attraction and affection between spouses as a straight path to knowledge and nearness to the Eternal Beloved
• Attaining the elixir of tranquillity, affection, and mercy, beyond the fleeting pleasures of the material world
• Learning how to transform the home into a workshop for cultivating transcendent affections and the light of faith

Intended Readers

Young people approaching the decision to marry, students and seminarians of Islamic studies, and young couples seeking a deeper understanding of married life.

Contents

1. Foreword: Greetings to God, the One, the Unequalled and the Eternal Refuge, and praise for the Two Weighty Things
2. Introduction: An overview of the first volume in the Family Books series and its place in distilling the teachings of *The University of Marriage*
3. Part One: The Miracle of Marriage and Marriage as a Miracle (the wisdom of creation, the secrets of attraction, and the journey of the seed)
4. Part Two: The University of the Spouses and the Inner Secrets of Love (trustworthiness in pleasure, purified spouses, and the taste of pure delight)
5. Part Three: The Lord’s Three Gifts to Spouses (tranquillity, affection, and mercy; marriage as new life)
6. Part Four: The Verses of Love and Worship (man and woman as mirrors of knowledge and passionate devotion)

Golden Passages from the Book

The Miracle of Life—or Its Greatest Loss
“With knowledge, understanding, and familiarity with its hidden secrets, marriage becomes the greatest miracle in a person’s life. But careless and ignorant conduct can turn this very blessing into life’s greatest loss and cause for regret.” (p. 5)

Building Vast Industries of the Heart
“Marriage means building and expanding the vast industries within us, producing affection and feeling, transcendent delight, and life’s sweet fruits. But without an understanding of its wisdom and secrets, it can become life’s greatest hardship and loss.” (p. 9)

Love Between Spouses: A Path of Spiritual Journeying to God
“The attraction between spouses and the love they share speak of a particular feeling entrusted to their nature—a feeling through which they arrive at a knowledge that cannot be attained in any other way. Love between spouses is among the means of knowing and understanding, and a straight path to the Eternal Beloved.” (p. 12)

Reflecting the Virtues of God’s Prophets
“Love for one’s spouse was among the most striking qualities of God’s prophets, displayed in the most beautiful, ethical, and purest way. The stronger one’s faith, the deeper one’s love and the gentler one’s treatment of one’s spouse.” (p. 14)

The Wondrous Journey of the Seed and the Secret of Resurrection
“Even if a person dies and decays, that same seed, with all its identifying features and its own record, will journey through the earth and the heavens, and God, the All-Powerful, will bring them back to life. The God who raises the magnificent edifice of a human being from an insignificant particle builds, through the sacred union of spouses, a home of tranquillity and heavenly mercy.” (p. 11)

Adam and Eve: Two Halves of One World
“Human creation began with pairing, and this law endures for ever. Woman and man are two parts of one world of being; only together can they attain true peace and the fullness of their humanity.” (p. 19)