Books that speak about the rulings on marriage, women, and ways of making the marriage successful
Question
Answer
Praise be to Allah.
The Islamic texts encourage marriage and state that it is the way of the Prophets and Messengers. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And indeed We sent Messengers before you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)), and made for them wives and offspring”
[ar-Ra‘d 13:38]
“And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Salihoon (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allah is All-Sufficent for His creatures’ needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people)”
[an-Noor 24:32].
As-Sa‘di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“If they” that is, married people or those who want to get married “be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty”. So you should not let what you imagine – that if he gets married, he will become poor because of having too many dependents – prevent you from getting married.
This offers encouragement to get married, and is a divine promise to the one who gets married that he will become independent of means after having been poor. And Allah is All-Sufficent for His creatures’ needs that is, He is very kind and bestows much bounty
“All-Knowing” – He knows who deserves His grace and bounty in both religious and worldly terms, or in one of them, and who does not deserve that. So He gives to all in accordance with His knowledge and wisdom.
End quote.
Tayseer al-Kareem ar-Rahmaan (p. 567)
For more information, please see fatwas no. 136885 and 220841, which discuss the virtues of marriage.
With regard to books that speak of the virtues of marriage, the rulings thereon and ways of making marriage successful, there are many such books, including the following:
Tuhfat al-‘Aroos by Mahmoud Mahdi al-Islambooli. This is a very useful book in which the author speaks of proposals and the rulings thereon, the essential parts and conditions of the marriage contract, the rights and duties of both spouses, and rulings on intimacy.
[Translator’s note: This book is available in English under the title: The Bride’s Boon]
Az-Zawaaj fi Zill al-Islam by Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ‘Abd al-Khaaliq, in which the author discusses the rulings on marriage in Islam, how to choose a life partner, rulings and conditions of the marriage proposal, impediments and outcomes of the marriage contract , ways to guarantee family stability, and ways of dealing with disputes between the spouses; then he speaks of the end of the marriage, either through death or separation during life by means of talaaq, khula‘ or annulment of the marriage.
Az-Zawaaj al-Islami as-Sa‘eed by Mahmoud al-Masri Abu ‘Ammaar
[Translator’s note: other books available in English include the following:
A Gift for a Muslim Bride by Muhammad Haneef Abdul Majeed
Secrets to a Successful Marriage by Afshan Khan
Traversing the Highs and Lows of Muslim Marriage by Sadaf Farooq]
With regard to books that speak about rulings having to do with Muslim women, there are also many such books. By way of example we may mention Jaami‘ Ahkaam an-Nisa’ by Shaykh Mustafa al-‘Adawi and Fataawa al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, compiled by Ashfraf ‘Abd al-Maqsood
And Allah knows best.