Today's Khutbah

I like today's khutbah. Marriage is not just about love, it is about commitment and trust from both parties.

Today's sermon will discuss about marriage. Marriage is an important institution in Islam. It is the basis and the foundation of a community. If the marriage institution is weak, then the community will become weak. If it is strong, then the community will be strong and continue to grow from strength to strength.

Let us move a few steps back and ask ourselves a few questions. Why did we marry in the first place? Was it love and attraction, or was it due to other needs, whether to fulfill our desires and physical needs?

Many of us may say that we got married because of love. But is love alone enough to maintain a happily married life? The answer is definitely no! Look around us and ask those who have had successful marriages the secret to their success. We will hear from them that the main factor to sustain a marriage is high level of commitment and trust from both husband and wife.

When we went through the nikah ceremony, we have stated a strong commitment to the responsibility that we took upon ourselves. A commitment to ourselves, to our wives, to our family, that we are committed to look after them and secure their best interests whatever happens. We will stay by our wives through thick and thin and we will solve all problems, big or small. This is our commitment. Islam takes responsibilities very seriously, especially this responsibility, as it is a daily one and to the closest people to us in life.

Arguments and quarrels are part and parcel of a marriage. But it will only strengthen our relationship and we would understand our spouses more. We will know their likes and dislikes and in the future, refrain from repeating those mistakes. There were even misunderstandings between the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his wives. This is to remind us that misunderstandings should not cause a breakup of the marriage institution.

So we would have misunderstandings in our marriage life. The issue here is how to deal with this misunderstanding. In any quarrel between husband and wife, we must always remember that we are in the same team. We are in the same boat traversing the ocean towards our own destination together with our children. We have the same objective and we must work together to ensure that the boat does not sink, despite the strong waves and currents.

Remember that Allah has created man and woman with some differences. On top of that, each one of us has a different and unique personality. We need to give and take to ensure that our marriage is a happy one. Being married alone does not give us the assurance that we will become good husbands or wives. We must learn and educate ourselves on how to be good husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, even grandfathers and grandmothers. Read up more. Attend seminars and lectures to upgrade our knowledge on how to become better husbands. Be patient and think positively about our spouse. Look at our wives with love and compassion. Remind ourselves of all the sacrifices and contributions from our wives for us. Look at their good points and turn away from their weaknesses. Be a man. Stick to our commitment and vow. Make our marriage work.

Sidenote: Hahahhahaha I can't help but read the line at the end "be a man" ala Russell Peters' stand up comedy. "Be a man! Do the right thing!" Hahahahahah!