Microsoft Word Marriage Guide doc

 
 
10 A short A to Z of Marriage 
'The quest for knowledge is every Muslim's duty.' (Hadith from Ibn Maja) 
'You will not have faith until you love one another.' (Hadith from Muslim) 
Abandonment
. A major sin. Imam al-Ghazali records: 'It is related that if a man runs 
away from his family, Allah will not accept his prayer or his fasting until he returns home.' 
Abortion
. The Prophet (P.B.U.H) believed that every conceived child had a right to 
life, and there are strong Qur'anic ayats against the killing of children. 'Do not slay your 
children for fear of poverty. We provide for you and for them.' (6:151) 
Every human being has a living soul, and should be loved, respected, and have his or 
her proper place in a family. Muslim jurists are of the unanimous view that after the foetus 
has been given a soul by Allah, it is forbidden to kill it. An unborn child has legal rights, 
depending whether it was formed and showing signs of independent life. If it was, and if 
someone hurt a pregnant woman and she miscarried, full diya (blood compensation) has to 
be paid, just as for an adult person. A foetus can also inherit. The janaza prayer is 
performed for a 'formed' foetus, and it is given a name. If the foetus is not 'formed,' janaza 
is prohibited. 
The majority of jurists are of the opinion that the soul does not enter the body of 
the unborn baby until the time it is `ensouled' (nafh al-ruh), which they think is in the 
sixteenth week of pregnancy; and if an abortion is absolutely necessary, it has to be 
performed before that time. The Hanafis permit abortion until the end of the fourth 
month. Others, particularly the Maliki scholars, feel that the matter of when the soul 
enters the foetus is unproven, and therefore prohibit abortion absolutely. Modern 
ultrasound equipment suggests the sixth week would be a better time limit, when the 
foetus looks human and it can be seen if it is male or female. 
This is backed up by the hadith: I have heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon 
him) as saying: When forty nights pass after the semen gets into the womb, Allah sends the 
angel and gives him the shape. Then He creates his sense of hearing, sense of sight, his skin, 
his flesh, his bones, and then (the angel) says: My Lord, would he be male or female? And 
you Lord decides as He desires and the angel then puts down that also and then says: My 
The Muslim Marriage Guide: Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood

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