For those who are ready for marriage...

here are some rules regarding seeking a suitable partner according to Islam. First, let's look at 'Readiness of Marriage':

1. knowing one's rights and obligations of an act is itself an obligation
2. knowing yourself well with the abilityto take the burden of responsibility (Mukallaf) is an implied requirement
3. for males, he must have the ability to provide and maintain his wife and family that would follow
4. for females, her ability to consent is sufficient readiness.

Okay, that was straight-forward. As I have promised my friend Nafeesa, who will be married in 2 months inshaAllah, I'll include some things to make a marriage contract. My husband & I are attending this Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) of Marriage @ the Al-Ghazzali center, and I thought this might help on the road to marriage.

Preparing the Marriage contract in Writing

• a written contract is not obligatory but recommended.
• conditions in a marriage agreement, which stipulates the acting on a prohibited matter make such conditions void, but the marriage valid.
• matters which are a necessary responsibility of a party, but not stipulated in a contract, is still obligatory on that person. Not fulfilling such an obligation gives the right to the other party for divorce.
• matters which are not stipulated under Shari'ah, but there is benefit in such a condition and if present in a contract must be obligatorily fulfilled. If no recourse is stipulated, for such a condition however, it canot be enforced through official means, e.g., an Islamic court or through recognised Leaders of a community.
• it is permitted to give the right to one's wife to divorce herself without the involvement of the Islamic Court or authority, and is called Tafweed.
• acceptance of Tafweed after entering into marriage is acceptable, as long as the husband agrees to this stipulation.
• a woman may stipulate conditions of contract and Tafweed attached to it.
• the written contract must be witnessed by at least two parties. It is best to make available the same copies of the contract each to the husband and the wife.

Ok, there you go. Hope that helps.

~Peace.

No Regrets.......

But I wish these "Fiqh of Marriage" classes existed BEFORE I got married, it would've helped ALOT! Alhamdulillah :)

Robbie signed us up for a 10-week short course about "Fiqh of Marriage", provided by Al-Ghazzali. This class involves the study of the Personal Rights and Responsibilities, i.e., the Fiqh of Marriage. The Study Circle will cover Hanafi and Shafi'i Schools of Methodology. The content will include presentation on the laws and guidance pertaining to:
- Interpersonal interaction prior to marriage and during courtship

- Cultural misconceptions affecting Islamic Principles

- The Marriage Contract

- Rights and Responsibilities of husband and wife

- Consultation, the foundation of an Islamic Marriage

- Death of a partner

- Rules of Divorce, including the Australian Law

- Rights and Responsibilities of ex-husband and ex-wife.

The person who teaches it is Br. Afroz Ali. This guy's awesome! He's very well-known around the Muslim Village forums and quite intelligent too, mashallah. I must say, after just attending one session I felt different. You can say that I felt enlightened. There was a specific area of topic which I needed confirming, just for peace of mind. According to Shafi'i or Hanafi madhab (school of thought), a female is not allowed to wear fragranced perfume and adorn herself in public, because it'll attract the attention of non-muhrim men (men she can marry), whom she passes by. As soon as I found out about that I sticked to the rule. I didn't care who it was to tell to do otherwise, right up to this moment.

I remember a time when Robbie & I were just married, I'd say about 1 month. My mother-in-law would say something to the effect of: "put some lipstick on" or "put on some make-up". I responded with silence and only told Robbie that when sisters would go out, they're prohibited to adorn themselves and put on make-up, and perfumes with fragrance. And he didn't believe me until tonight's class. So for one, I'm glad he heard the ruling from the horse's mouth.

We got home @ 10pm. On the way home I was begging to Allah that Abdurrahman would be asleep when we'd arrive. Alhamdulillah he was. Until next time y'all...

~Peace.

One of many chances to thank Allah Almighty.

ALL PRAISES DUE TO ALLAH!!!

I have just received good & wonderful news from my husband, whose being going on job interviews to get the job he's wanted for so long. At last, he has been offered the position of (?) Team Leader. He called me and I teared up a little while I was congratulating him, 'cuz this is what he wanted. Inshallah the pay will increase overtime and we'll be able to MOVE OUT AND GET A PLACE OF OUR OWN, INSHALLAH!! But that'll take 2-3 years I guess, I don't care, I put my trust in Allah and stay patient until we move out of here.

I just wanted to congratulate my darling Robbie; may Allah guide you through this new journey and make you steadfast in His religion. Amin.

~Wassalaamu'alaikum.