Marriage and the family

• "When a husband and wife share intimacy it is rewarded, and a blessing from Allah; just as they would have been punished if they had been engaged in illicit sex" -Hadith
• Islamic teachings on sex ( :0 )

  -that it's an act of worship, as it has the purpose of procreation, which is what Allah intended. Therefore they will be rewarded for it

  -sex fulfills physical, emotional and spiritual needs

  -is a gift from Allah intended for procreation

  -however should only take place in a marriage

  -adultery is not acceptable; homosexuality is forbidden
• How does the ummah support families?

  -worship; muslim families attend prayer at the mosque together

  -rites of passage: will celebrate events such as Bismillah, weddings and funerals as a family/ community

  -classes for parents

  -counselling

  -support
• "And hold fast, all of you together, to the cable of Allah, and do not separate" (Surah 3) --> importance of helping each other
• Acceptance of contraception when:

  -the life of the mother is at risk

  -if to protect the well-being of the current family unit (e.g financially)
• Rejection of contraception as:

  -is unnatural/ not what God intended

  -some methods can be considered an early abortion: therefore infanticide
• Teachings on divorce:


  -should be a last resort; husband must announce his intention to divorce his wife

  -three month waiting period in which couple live together, in hopes to reconcile

  -must ensure woman is not pregnant

  -after four months the couple can divorce
• Muslim beliefs and attitudes to divorce:

  -marriage is a contract, so can be broken

  -qur'an allows divorce + shari'ah law permits divorce

  -may be better for children

  -however, Muhammed never divorced- so practice of Sunnah is relevant

  -damages family unit and stability of society
• "All people are equal... as the teeth of a comb" - Hadith
• Muhammed witnessed many examples of poor treatment of women, and he brought about improvement in conditions

  -right for woman to be able to divorce their husbands

  -improvements in the provision of education for women
• Gender prejudice and discrimination:

  -Islam teaches everyone was created by Allah, so is therefore equal

  -men and women will be treated equally and judged in the same way by Allah
• Gender equality in action:

  -the inclusive mosque initiative campaigns for more equality when praying in mosques

  -sisters in Islam work to empower women to challenge mistreatment and gender discrimination though challenging laws that make women inferior (such as child marriage, polygamy and violence against men)