Allah Ta’ala has instilled passionate instincts in every man and woman.
Allah has also prescribed the means by which man can fulfil these instincts. This means is nikah. The primary objective of nikah is to satisfy these instinctive passions in men and women. The husband should therefore do his best to satisfy the wife and she should do the same so that none of them has to resort to illicit means of sexual gratification.
Reward for satisfying one’s desire lawfully.
Messenger of Allah (saw) once told his companions that a person is rewarded for satisfying his sexual desire with his wife. When the companions of the Prophet expressed surprise that a person could be rewarded for satisfying a carnal passion, the Prophet (saw) asked them,” Will a person be sinful if he satisfies his desire unlawfully?” “Certainly,” responded the companions of the Prophet. The Prophet (saw) said,” Therefore, if a couple refrains from unlawful relations and fulfil their needs within the command of Allah, they will be rewarded” (Ahmad)
The woman whom the angels curse.
Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated that the Prophet (saw) said,” When a man calls his wife to bed (for conjugal relations) and she refuses to respond (or does something by which his desire is left unfulfilled and he becomes angry with her), the angels continue cursing her until the next morning.”
In the Arabic contact, the meaning of a person being cursed is that the person is distanced from Allah’s mercy. The husband sees to the needs of his wife and provides for her from his hard-earned wealth. In addition to this, he fulfils her many other rights as well. In return for all of this, she is expected to at least fulfil his sexual needs so that he may be saved from sin. She should bear in mind that the fundamental object of nikah is to protect the man’s chastity and to save his eyes from roving. She should therefore not fail in this vital task because
her failure would be disastrous for both of them. In addition to this, she would then also be subjecting herself to the curses of the angels.
Women who disregard this hadith find their husbands marrying other wives or even worse forsaking their chastity. The husband-wife relationship is extremely special because they can fulfil their needs with none other but themselves. It is therefore of paramount importance that their relationship should be one of love and understanding.
Our Prophet (saw) understood human psychology very well and identified all man’s needs. His advices were therefore pertinence and effective. However, when one acts contrary to these advices, one will experience bitterness and conditions will worsen.
It is only by way of example that Messenger of Allah mentioned that the angels will curse such a woman until the morning. This does not mean that she will be exempt from these curses if she refuses during the day. It is necessary for her to respond to him at any time unless she has valid reason like menstruation, etc.
Abu Hurairah (ra) narrates that our beloved Prophet (saw) said,” When a man calls his wife to bed and she refuses to respond (or does something by which his desire is left unfulfilled and he becomes angry with her), the angels continue cursing her until the next morning,” (Bukhari).
The above hadiths make it clear that refusing to cohabit with one’s husband is a grave sin that warrants the curses of the angels.
Similarly, if a woman leaves her husband’s bed against his wishes, she will also be subjected to the curses of the angels until she returns. The Prophet (saw) had specifically mentioned all these things because these are factors that ruin families.
(To be continued)
(Prepared by Muhammad Haneef Abdul Majeed)