Ch 6 — Marriage in Islam / Marriage: Intellectual Partnership
Women In Islam — Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.
The second chapter of the Quran says: “Your wives are a tilth for you. Go then, into your tilth as you will Do good deeds, and fear God and know that you shall meet him. And give good tidings to believers.”(2:223) p. 176Qur'an
This verse’s words ‘do good deeds’ summarise the basic theme. This central idea explains the whole verse, which means that one should be engaged in activities that benefit the future. Man must prepare himself for all the different tests in life to gain a place in the world to come. This should be the goal of a person in life. The verse further says that one should try to understand how a woman relates to this goal in life. God has created women to support man in life, just as the field supports the farmer in the subsistence of life. p. 176
This verse of the Quran was revealed in Makkah at a time when people debated the role of women in life. People in those days knew only two things about women: sexual satisfaction and the continuation of the human race. p. 177
But the Quran says that over and above those two things, a woman extends a supporting hand in building a successful life. Therefore, man should utilize this provision, be gifted by nature, and work at building successful lives for themselves. Any other concept of a woman—less dignified than this—belittles a woman’s position. A man and a woman come together in marriage so that they may unitedly play their part in building a more significant role in human life. p. 177original + quote
When a man is born into this world, he is like iron ore, raw in form. Nature has produced him like ore, and he must develop himself on his own. Nature produces ore; man has to convert it into steel. This means he has to develop his personality through intellectual and spiritual development to make it a developed personality. p. 177
Intellectual and spiritual development is of the utmost importance in this development process. In developing one’s personality, the most important thing is for man to broaden his mind by awakening his consciousness. Three things are required to awaken one’s consciousness: study, observation, and intellectual exchange with other people. Books are the most significant source of knowledge, and studying them is always beneficial. The world of nature is the most excellent source of observation. In intellectual learning, man needs to form the habit of learning from others and continue in this learning process. p. 178
In the case of married people, they are each other’s immediate intellectual partners, as they are always available for each other. From this point of view, marriage is an excellent opportunity for intellectual development, as both can interact and progress together intellectually. Intellectual development is essential for everyone. Marriage offers an ideal opportunity to commune with one another. One condition to succeed in this venture is to prioritize intellectual development and make it a part of one’s daily life. In this way, the best way to describe the relationship between husband and wife is ‘intellectual partnership.’ p. 178