LoveNotes: Part 7

Status of Family in Islam

1) Family is a divinely inspired institution (means that Qur’an and Sunnah talk of this)
2) “meethaqan ghaleedha” (strong covenant)
3) Qur’an and sunnah give us so much info on this
4) Social contract
a. Mu’amalat (societal interaction)
i. Involves relationships between people
5) Faith and Family
a. Family=ideological structure
i. Want jannah
ii. When kids are 4 years old even, their parents bring them to Sunday Islamic school

-Responsibility to your children start before marriage: you need to marry righteous people and have good Islamic knowledge

STRUCTURES and RULES

-Islam organizes structures and role (Surah Nisa, Baqarah, Talaq)
-contract: rights, obligations, conditions
-many couples fight over this: RIGHTS but Islam already organizes this
-Islam forbids temporary unions
-Islam promotes PERMANENT unions
-Mut’ah = haram
-Urfi = marriage of convenience = haram
A. CLOSEST FOLD: husband, wife, children, parents, grandchildren
B. CENTRAL FOLD: close relatives-3 categories
1)- by blood (brothers and sisters)
-maternal and paternal aunts
-nieces and nephews
2) –father/mother-in-law/stepchildren
3) Relatives through Ar-Rada (breastfeeding)
C. OUTER FOLD: brother-in-law, sister-in-law, cousins, cousins’ kids (extended family)

Role of Men in Marriage-according to ISLAM
-in general: SUPERVISOR

-usually in different cultures, eldest man has highest position
-problem solver
-man’s responsibility = outside the home
-internal discipline of family
-usually many women pick up kids after school, get groceries
-if you tell her so much to do, though, she’ll demand more rights
-if you tell husband to do so much, he’ll demand more rights
-Men are protectors and maintainers of women-Qur’an

Role of Women in Marriage-according to ISLAM
-major responsibility: inside the family

FAMILY
-social order
-ideological society
-good Muslims = good citizens
-every individual should commit his life to his faith and deen, carry responsibility to Deen and faith

Culturally…
MAN is the head of the house but WOMAN is the neck!!!
-you can see this in the shopping sprees at Wal-mart
-even strong men can be twisted by women’s cleverness

-in poor countries many times, kids are more mature and exposed to realities-in our country and culture, even a PhD guy doesn’t know how to save money $$$