This is our summary of an article first published by Sound Vision (written by Shahina Siddiqui). Read the full piece on their site.
Read on Sound VisionThis is a thoughtful, faith-centred reflection on what love in marriage really asks of us. It is a good read for couples and parents alike.
Key takeaways
- Spouses share a common origin and equal human dignity, which leaves no room for domination.
- Make decisions together through consultation rather than one spouse dictating.
- Show mercy through compassion, forgiveness, care and humility.
- Accept your spouse as they are while encouraging them to grow.
- Guard each other's confidences; trust is central to love.
What the article says
Shahina Siddiqui opens with two Qur'anic verses, quoted in the article, that describe spouses being created from a single soul and given love and mercy so they may find tranquillity together. From her perspective as a marriage counsellor, the shared origin of men and women affirms their equal worth, and she sees many marital problems arising when one spouse treats the other as lesser and uses control. Different roles in marriage, she argues, are a practical arrangement, not a ranking of value.
“Love is honesty without cruelty and loyalty without compromise.”
Shahina Siddiqui
She explains that peace at home depends on justice, fairness and honouring mutual rights, and that it is undermined when consultation is ignored, one-sided decisions dominate, or any form of abuse occurs. Tranquillity does not mean constant bliss; it is the steadiness that helps a couple face hardship together. Mercy, expressed through compassion, forgiveness, care and humility, is a second pillar.
The article ends with a list of qualities that marital love should cultivate: faith, sustaining each other in every sense, acceptance, encouragement to grow, mercy, forgiveness, respect, confidentiality, caring, kindness after the example of the Prophet ﷺ, growth over time, selflessness and honesty.
Why it matters for Muslim marriages
Many couples arrive at marriage with images of love taken from films rather than from faith. This article gently reorients the conversation toward mercy, consultation, fairness and kindness, the values that make a home a place of rest. For those still searching, it offers a useful lens: does this person consult rather than command, forgive readily, and keep confidences? For parents, it is a reminder that the marriages we model teach our children what love looks like.
Originally published by Sound Vision. Summary and reflections by the BeyondChai team.
