The Young Bride

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following was extracted from a speech given by Shaykh Tu’sun Bayrak al-Jirrahi. 

“I remember, years ago when I was a young dervish, my shaykh married a young couple.  To the groom he said, ‘This woman is Allah’s Gift to you. Allah Entrusts her to you to love, to take care of, and to see to all her needs and to make her happy, and to live in peace.  Those are your obligations, and if you do not perform your obligations you will be sinning.’ 

And to the bride, he said, ‘My daughter, Allah has Rewarded this man by Entrusting you to him.  He is obliged to love you, satisfy all your needs and make you happy and content.  The only obligation you have towards him is to protect the sanctity of your home and nothing else.’ 

A short while after, the husband came to complain that his wife did not do any housework, nor do anything for him, she just sat and amused herself.  The shaykh asked to talk to her, and told her, ‘My daughter, when I told you that you had no obligation towards your husband, I failed to mention that for all the obligations he has towards you, he does not get any Reward from Allah, and sins if he fails to make them, and is punished, while you are neither sinning nor are going to be punished for not taking care of him and your home.  Allah will Reward you at least ten times for what you do for him.  But if you do not care to please Allah, nor care to receive His Rewards, and if you continue not to care about him and your home, our religion permits a man to marry more than one wife.  Perhaps he should marry a second wife who will do the household chores and take care of him.’  No sooner said, the young bride became a perfect wife, and took care of her husband and home thereafter.”