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In today’s world many people seem to view marriage as a negative thing, a limiting of freedom, of excitement. On the other hand, some Christians have long had the understanding from the writings of Paul that it is better not to marry, in order to more completely devote oneself to God.
However, in Quran, verses 24:32-33, God strongly encourages marriage, even to the extent (in the past) of freeing slaves who wished to marry.
Encourage Marriage to
Discourage Immorality
[24:32-33] You shall encourage those of you who are single to get married. They may marry the righteous among your male and female servants, if they are poor. GOD will enrich them from His grace. GOD is Bounteous, Knower. Those who cannot afford to get married shall maintain morality until GOD provides for them from His grace. Those among your servants who wish to be freed in order to marry, you shall grant them their wish, once you realize that they are honest. And give them from GOD's money that He has bestowed upon you….
As you see above, Dr. Rashad Khalifa added a subtitle indicating that marriage discourages immorality, and this is in more ways than just sexual immorality. Marriage is an amazing spiritual exercise. It seems to be one of the main tools that God gives us to work on our souls. For a marriage to be good, both partners must work both on the marriage and on themselves—work on killing their egos (2:54), on reigning in their selfishness (4:128), on treating each other in the best possible manner (17:53). And 2:187 lets us know that spouses must learn to share deeply, with more that just a physical intimacy for it tells us that: “They are the keepers of your secrets, and you are the keepers of their secrets….”
Yes, you can work on those traits in your relationships with other people. However, in a marriage you cannot just walk away, as you can in most situations. Verse 4:21 tells us that marriage is a solemn pledge and 76:7 reminds us that the virtuous keep their pledges.
That marriage is not a light matter is demonstrated by the seriousness with which God deals with adultery. He classes it with idolatry and murder, and doubles the retribution for it:
[25:68-69] They never implore beside GOD any other god, nor do they kill any soul—for GOD has made life sacred—except in the course of justice. Nor do they commit adultery. Those who commit these offenses will have to pay. Retribution is doubled for them on the Day of Resurrection, and they abide therein humiliated.
The importance that God gives to marriage is also demonstrated by the fact that He tells us not to break existing marriages even when they do not conform to the normal prohibitions. This even includes existing marriages that are normally forbidden (4:22-24). And though divorce is allowed, He gives every opportunity for the marriage to heal when divorce is threatened—first with the command to try and reconcile (4:128), then with arbitration and counseling by the families (4:35), then with a four-month cooling off period (2:226-7), and finally with the interim of three menstruations for the wife before she can remarry (2:228) and thus put an end to the possibility of total reconciliation.
Marriage is a gift to us—a physical, emotional, and spiritual provision from the One who is our only real Provider. And it is a proof, a proof of His mercy, wisdom and graciousness:
[30:21] Among His proofs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves, in order to have tranquility and contentment with each other, and He placed in your hearts love and care towards your spouses. In this, there are sufficient proofs for people who think.
And finally, let’s look at the deeper implications of verses 4:25 and 24:33, which institute freedom for slaves when they marry. Rather than being a limit to freedom, marriage is a freeing institution, both for the slave and for all who are enslaved by their own sin. As it aids us in growing our souls to come closer and closer to God it frees us from the bondage of our original sin of doubting God’s absolute power and authority. That is the greatest freedom there is!
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I hold a special place for God within myself.
My mind holds thoughts of the goodness of God.
My hands raise in prayer daily.
My mouth speaks the blessings that have been bestowed upon me and my family.
My eyes see the wonders that my Lord has shared through His love and goodness.
My feet carry me to various places to stand and share my Lord’s provisions.
My body awakens every day to do my Lord’s will.
I attempt at least one good deed a day, even if it’s just sharing a smile.
My heart holds God secure and dear so that He is always near.
The love I feel and am able to share comes from God, the Almighty, the Most High.
All blessings, no matter how small or great, come from our Creator.
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[14:34] And He gives you all kinds of things that you implore Him for. If you count GOD's blessings, you can never encompass them. Indeed, the human being is transgressing, unappreciative.