Islamic Family Life Ethics

✍ Scribed by Ayatullah Husayn Mazaheri

• Publisher: World Islamic Network
• Year: 2012
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 248
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book is a presentation of 24 illuminating talks given by Ayatullah Husayn Mazaheri to highlight the concept of the home and family in Islam; a concept that is based on faith and love.

For eligible girls and boys this will be invaluable information before they embark on matrimony and make a home of their own.

Islam lays great stress on the importance of the family institution. Today, when we look at the Western society, it gives us a fair idea about the Need of a close-knit family as required in the Islamic society. In the Western society old parents are forced to spend their twilight years in homes for the aged. Perhaps they get all the physical comforts in these homes, but they badly miss the love and affection of their near and dear ones.

Here I would like to mention the experience of a friend of mine and his wife who stayed as paying guests with an old American couple in a small university town for a couple of years. This young couple gave a lot of love and affection to the old landlord and his wife. When they were returning home after completing their studies, the old man said with tearful eyes, “Son! With you we really enjoyed true filial love and affection. Our own sons and daughters come to us only for the family get-togethers during the holiday season and seldom bother about us the rest of the year! Now that you are going, we shall badly miss you!”

The foundation for the family and home in the Islamic society that is laid with the marriage of a young couple is the most beloved in the eyes of Allah and flourishes with the passage of time.

The publication of this compendium of the erudite lectures of the learned Ayatullah shall be a guide, inshallah, for the young individuals who are on the threshold of embarking on married life. Our sincere good wishes and blessings for all such young persons!

✦ Table of Contents

Translator’s Note i
The First Talk 1
1. Compatibility Between Faith and Nature 1
2. The Nature of Knowing or Understanding Allah 2
3. Prayer is Instinctive 5
4. Importance of Prayer 8
5. The Prayer of Hadhrat Fatima Zahra (s.a.) 10
The Second Talk 13
1. Islam and Human Inclinations 13
2. Life Under Islamic Purview 19
Basic Life 19
Comfortable Life 21
Luxurious Life 23
The Third Talk 25
1 Biological Scientists on Matrimony 25
2. Qur’anic View of Matrimony 26
3. Matrimony in the Light of Tradition 27
4. Importance of Sexual Instinct in Islam 29
5. Moderation in Dowry 31
The Fourth Talk 35
1. Obstruction to Matrimony 35
2. Making Lame Excuses 35
3. Unnecessary Show 40
4. Excessive Mahr 44
5. Lavish Walima or Reception 45
A Wrong Practice 46
The Fifth Talk 49
1. The Dowry (From the Bride) 49
2. Miserliness 53
3. Summary of Discussion 57
The Sixth Talk 59
1. The Sanctity of Home 59
2. Household Chores 64
3. The Effect of Ill-Gotten Wealth 65
The Seventh Talk 69
1. Mutual Understanding at Home 69
2. Blaming Each Other 69
3. Spirit of Understanding at Home 72
The Eighth Talk 79
1. Cultivating the Habit of Sin 79
2. Abandoning the Veil is a Moral Exhibitionism 80
3. The Second Trait 82
4. To Make Excuses for Sin 83
5. Backbiting and Slander 84
The Ninth Talk 89
1. Formation of a Household 89
2. Modesty and Bashfulness 94
3. Giving Virtuous Progeny to the Society 95
The Tenth Talk 99
1. The Benefits of Matrimony 99
2. Peace of Mind 99
3. Man and Wife - Ornaments for Each Other 100
4. Man and Wife - Source of Comfort for Each Other 102
The Eleventh Talk 107
1. Training Oneself 107
2. Need of Patience 108
3. Home, a School 113
4. More than the Late-Night Prayer 114
The Twelveth Talk 117
1 Love and Blessings at Home 117
2 Actions that Reduce the Love - Anger 118
3. Abusive Language and Beating 119
4. Insulting Talk 121
The Thirteenth Talk 127
1. The Birth of Imam Hasan (a.s.) 127
2. Conceit 128
3. Types of Conceit 129
4. Stubborness 131
5. Unrealistic Expectations 132
6. Not Accepting Criticism 134
The Fourteenth Talk 135
1. The Causes of Continued Love and Affection 135
2. Trivial but Important 135
3. Taking Care of Cleanliness and Hygiene 135
4. Expressing Friendship 137
5. Giving Gifts 138
6. Asmayee and the Patient Woman 139
The Fifteenth Talk 143
1. Polygamy and the Reasons Therefor 143
2. Need of Having More than One Wife 143
3. Marriage for Carnal Satisfaction 143
4 Marriage of Compulsion 146
The Sixteenth Talk 151
1. On Divorce 151
2. Types of Divorce 151
Divorce of Necessity 151
Divorce for Carnal Satisfaction 153
Exchanging Glances and Meeting Each Other 154
Divorce of Compulsion 156
The Seventeenth Talk 161
1. Need of a Family 161
2. Condemning Stinginess in Material Needs 161
3. Need of Satisfying the Sexual Instinct 163
4. Need of Sympathy 164
The Eighteenth Talk 169
1. Spiritual and Intellectual Needs 169
The Nineteenth Talk 179
1. Interference of The Parents 179
The Twentieth Talk 187
1. Obeying the Husband 187
2. Home and The Rule of Law 192
The Twenty-first Talk 197
1. Compatibility at Home 197
2. Love 197
3. Favouritism 201
The Twenty Second Talk 205
1. Forgiveness and Forbearance 205
The Twenty- third Talk 213
1. Suspicion 213
2. Misunderstandings Crop Up 213
3. Effects of Waswasa: Negative Thoughts 214
4. Grief 215
5. Suspicion 216
6. The Dangers of Suspicion 217
The Twenty-fourth Talk 223
1. Waswasa of Action 223
The King of mankind 230

✦ Subjects

Family life, Shia Religion, Family Ethics, Ideal Family Life, Shia Family Ethics, Family Love, Family Respect, Shia Family Life style