The issue of marriage is common in all nations and tribes, there is no nation that can live without marriage; But the word that the prophets (peace be upon them) have brought, especially the Holy Prophet of Islam (s) stated that We have brought a new word, and that is "Marriage is my way [Sunnah]". [1] Marriage is my Sunnah and accordingly, he said: «مَنْ تَزَوَّجَ فَقَدْ أَحْرَزَ نِصْفَ دِینِهِ» "Whoever marries, he has already protected half of his religion". [2] Then the marriage that exists in other nations and cultures is only gathering of a male and a female, but the marriage that exists in Islam is not a mere gathering of a male and a female, but it has a subtle spiritual aspect by which half of the religion of the couple is protected.

As the husband and wife get close to each other [got married], they for each other are as the garments of their bodies, just as the clothes are attached to the human body and protect the person from cold and hot weather, and [covers the body in a way that] no one knows about the body of the person, since the clothes are coverings, they are the body's covers and are the protector of the body, husband and wife are also as protectors of each other, protectors of each other's dignity while only they know each other's [personal or family] secrets. The husband does not tell his wife's secrets even to his own family; His wife does not tell her husband's secrets to her own family either. As the Holy Quran states:

﴿هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَّكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَهُنَّ﴾

 “…They (wives) are your garments and you (husbands) are their garments”.  Wife and husband are each other's garment who protect each other’s reputation and also, they support each other in the coldness and heat [happiness and difficulties] of life.

In the marriage sermon recitation and in the prelude to reciting the bond of marriage of Imam Ali and her holiness, Fatima Zahra, peace be upon them, the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, stated the same thing that later on, Imam Javad, peace be upon him, also mentioned in his own wedding ceremony; He said that the issue of marriage is not that two people want to get together as a male and a female, this is not the case. Commonly, we usually divide families into two types, we say that we have a consanguinity and affinity families; we call uncles, aunts as our consanguinity family and the relatives of the bride and groom as our affinity family. We consider the first group as part of genealogy but the second one as affinity [related through a cause which is marriage]; But the Holy prophet said in that brilliant sermon:

«إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَی جَعَلَ الْمُصَاهَرَةَ نَسَباً لَاحِقا»

 "Indeed, God the Almighty, has made affinity a subsequent lineage [of consanguinity]" [4]. Therefore, marriage is related to the lineage and consanguinity, and the two families are almost related to each other as consanguinity family, [not as affinity which is commonly believed by the society] so that the two families are protected. If marriage caused blood relationship, then the father-in-law and mother-in-law consider the bride as their own daughter, and the groom is considered as the son by the bride’s parents, and therefore, they always wish good for him/her. The prophet, peace be upon him and his family, stated: “This [marriage] is akin to consanguinity and blood family, if -God forbid- any problem arose, they themselves would immediately solve it; due to the fact that they are not affinities but consanguinity families.

[1] Jame’ Al-Akhbar, p. 101.
[2] Amali (Tusi) text, p. 518.
[3] Surah al-Baqarah, verse 187.
[4] Rouzah al-Waezin (I - old), vol. 1, p. 147.

 

#The heavenly sermon of marriage
#keeping_the_religion
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Marriage sermon ceremony
Date: 10/15/2013