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Why Is The Family
So Important To Muslims?
The
family enjoys a high status in Islam. It is the core of the
society, because a healthy family means a healthy society. Hence
Allah, the Exalted, commands that parents be treated with
gentleness and submissiveness, saying:
And your Rubb has
commanded that you worship none but Him, and treat your parents
with kindness. If one or both of them attain old age in your care,
never say to them a word (suggesting) disgust, nor reproach them,
but address them with reverent speech. And humble yourself out of
mercy before them and supplicate: “My Rubb be merciful to
them for having fostered me in my childhood.29
Next to the nuclear and immediate family come the
kinfolk. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said that
Allah has promised to be kind to the person who treats his
kindred. With kindness, and to bar from His mercy the person who
severs relations with his relatives.
The family is the foundation of Islamic society. The peace and
security offered by a stable family unit is greatly valued and
seen as essential for the spiritual growth of its members. A
harmonious social order is created by the existence of extended
families; children are treasured and rarely leave home until the
time they marry.
Parents are greatly
respected in the Islamic tradition. Mothers are particularly
honored: the Qur'an teaches that since mothers suffer during
pregnancy, childbirth, and child rearing, they deserve a special
consideration and kindness.
It is stated in the
Qur'an:
"And we have enjoined upon man (to be good) to his parents. With
difficulty upon difficulty did his mother bear him and wean him
for two years. Show gratitude to Me and to your parents; to Me is
your final goal." (Qur'an 31:14)
A Muslim marriage is
both a sacred act and a legal agreement, in which either partner
is free to include legitimate conditions. As a result, divorce,
although uncommon, is permitted only as a last resort. Marriage
customs vary widely from country to country.
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