The University of Marriage

The Miracle of Marriage: An Encyclopedia of Family Wisdom and a School of Happiness in the Light of the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt

Introduction and the Need for This Book

The University of Marriage is an encyclopedia of wisdom and an analytical guide that explains why marriage is essential: it is the most profound event in earthly life. With an existential perspective and a fresh explanatory approach, the author defines marriage as the renewal and intensification of human life. Neglecting its true foundations traps people in a whirlpool of suffering; building a marriage on the principles of divine wisdom, by contrast, brings the bliss of Paradise into the home and family in this very world.

Approach and Method

Written in the innovative style of “prayer-bead strands” and inspired by the radiant verses of the Holy Qur’an and the precious hadiths of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), this book brings together profound mystical, hadith-based and theological discussions with practical insights from psychology, biology and emotional life. The author draws from them thoroughly practical models for life today.

Key Themes

• Explaining the truth of marriage as a monotheistic magnet, a source of peace for body and soul, and a shield that draws one closer to the Lord
• Uncovering little-known mysteries and heavenly criteria for courtship and choosing the right spouse
• Guidance on inner well-being and the remarkable subtleties of emotional and marital relations
• Presenting the mutual rights and responsibilities of husband and wife as the architecture of a home of happiness
• Golden keys to pregnancy, safeguarding the fruit of life and raising righteous children

Who This Book Is For

Young people approaching the decision to marry; couples seeking deeper love and tranquillity; family counsellors and educators; and all those researching the Islamic way of life.

Contents

1. Foreword and a Prayer of the Pen before the Architect of Existence
2. Introduction: The University of Marriage, the Miracle of Marriage and a School of Happiness
3. Chapter One: Discovering the Mysteries and Monotheistic Truths of Marriage (Love: The Gateway to the University of Marriage)
4. Chapter Two: The Secrets of Choosing Well, the Principles of Courtship and the Signs of a Compatible Spouse
5. Chapter Three: Building the Family Home and the Specific Responsibilities Before, During and After Marriage
6. Chapter Four: The Most Complex and Little-Known Subtleties of Marital Relations and Inner Well-Being
7. Chapter Five: The Special and Mutual Rights of Husband and Wife, and the Skills of Resolving Conflict
8. Chapter Six: The Sweet Fruit of Love: The Secrets of Pregnancy and Raising a Generation Devoted to Divine Oneness

Golden Passages from the Book

The Monotheistic Magnetism of Marriage
“Like the positive and negative charges of electricity and the north and south poles of a magnet, husband and wife, together, generate the light of spirituality, pleasure and vitality. They set each other’s very being alight, bestow on one another the warmth of tranquillity and create a magnetism that transcends human power.” (p. 28)

A Night of Peace and a Day of Serenity
“A woman is her husband’s peaceful night, and a man is his wife’s serene day… When a believing man and woman have given their souls and hearts a pure life through righteous deeds, their union joins one vast wave of pure life to another. It is an effort to experience a life beyond life, and feelings beyond feelings.” (p. 38)

Goblets of the Lord’s Hospitality
“The Creator of existence offers pure honey of pleasure and tranquillity in living vessels; their exchange gives rise to feelings beyond ordinary human experience. Husband and wife are, in truth, goblets of the Lord’s hospitality.” (p. 24)

A Bond Stitched Together with Mercy
“The tailor and surgeon of affection and mercy have stitched the souls of woman and man together so tightly that they are forever entwined and bound to one another. How sacred this bond is, if only the Creator is not forgotten! Earthly unions are a practice for heavenly and transcendent unions.” (p. 26)

The Art of Expressing Love
“Love must be expressed with artistry; otherwise, it will yield nothing but fault, deficiency and ugliness. Just as life flourishes with water, yet water can drown us if we do not understand it, so the love between spouses must be guided by the illumination and radiance of faith.” (p. 18)

A Healing Remedy or Deadly Poison
“Marriage is a divine remedy and healing, and through marriage, husband and wife are joined in health and recovery. But for anyone who does not know how to take this medicine, or uses it improperly, the healing elixir turns into a deadly poison, and suffering takes the place of healing.” (p. 31)

The Family Beehive
“Righteous women serve the Lord, and their reward is with Him. They are like honeybees who, for God’s sake, fill their husbands’ hearts with the sweetness of the honey of wisdom and love.” (p. 142)

The Essential Nature of Woman and Man
“If God created Eve from Adam, the implication is that there is no real separation between them. Eve is part of Adam’s very being, a feeling arising from the depths of his soul, without which peace is impossible. Their union is the fullest expression of human perfection.” (p. 25)