Chapter: Marital Relations

Husband and wife must live together honorably, ……….

His statement: “Marital relations”: ʿishrah is derived from maʿshar (a group of people), ʿashīrah (clan), and similar terms. Its basic linguistic meaning is gathering together. Hence the Prophet ﷺ said: “O company of young men,” (1) addressing a group. Likewise, a clan is so called because its members are gathered under one forefather.

Here, however, the intended meaning differs from its linguistic sense. What is meant by ʿishrah here is the way the spouses treat one another and live in harmony.

His statement: “Women”: what is meant here is wives, not women in general. Allah says: “And your wives’ mothers”—that is, the mothers of your wives—“and your stepdaughters under your guardianship, born of your wives with whom you have consummated marriage” [al-Nisāʾ 4:23]—that is, your wives. As for His saying, “And married women, except those your right hands possess” [al-Nisāʾ 4:24], “women” here means females. Thus, the term “women” may at times mean wives and at other times women generally, according to what the context requires.

Accordingly, “the chapter on marital relations” means: How should a man live with his wife, and how should a woman live with her husband?

In truth, this is an important chapter that deserves careful attention: implementing it is part of Islamic character; through it affection between the spouses endures; and because