By Bilesanmi Abayomi
Imam Alli Bolaji Atunrase of NASFAT Islamic Centre, Ota Ona annex, addressed contemporary issues affecting Muslim and non-Muslim households and their broader impact on society during the recent Jumat prayers. The Imam’s message encompassed the importance of valuing husbands, avoiding verbal abuse, seeking permission for engagements, and embracing marital understanding.
Watch Imam Alli’s Sermon
Imam Alli began by emphasizing the significance of expressing gratitude to God for having a living husband and children. He highlighted the unfortunate reality that some women have lost their husbands many years ago without anyone approaching them for companionship. He urged women to reconsider the significance of their husbands and cautioned against daily verbal abuse, as it may have implications for their children’s future and hinder their progress.
Citing the Prophet Muhammad’s teachings, the Imam urged women to provide prior notification and seek their husbands’ permission before attending events, meeting friends or family, or engaging in public activities. He stressed the importance of respecting husbands and avoiding the company of individuals who lack their spouses’ approval and blessings. Furthermore, he discouraged married women from keeping the contacts of other potential romantic partners in their phones or password-protecting their devices from their husbands. Instead, he encouraged couples to make their phones accessible to each other, promoting openness and trust in their relationship.
Imam Alli also addressed the issue of excessive monitoring by wives, cautioning that such behavior may inadvertently lead husbands to seek relationships outside the marriage. He highlighted the unique creation of men, citing the permission granted in Islam for men to marry more than one wife, provided they can deal justly with them. However, he emphasized that this capability to maintain fairness is limited to human capacity and can be challenging. He urged against criticizing those capable of marrying more than one wife, reminding the congregation that having multiple wives is better than engaging in the sin of fornication, which is deemed immoral in the eyes of God.
In response to recent debates surrounding polygamy, the Imam shared a story about an Alhaji who initially opposed having multiple wives but later found himself frequently dining at local restaurants due to his wife’s absence while attending to their grandchildren overseas. The man eventually acknowledged the disadvantages of having only one wife. The Imam stressed that men are not strange for desiring multiple wives, as it is permitted within Islamic teachings.
Imam Alli cautioned that his message was not directed at men who are incapable of fulfilling the responsibilities of multiple marriages. He urged against vilifying those who are capable, emphasizing that lawful practices cannot be changed to forbidden ones. He advised women who believed their husbands would not marry another wife to avoid frustrations, depression, and hypertension, asserting that if a husband did not marry in the wife’s presence, he might choose to do so in her absence. He urged patience, suggesting that becoming the mother of their children and reaping the rewards of their husband’s efforts during their lifetime were significant rewards.
While praying against such circumstances for married women, the Imam encouraged patience and understanding, promoting a harmonious marital relationship that ensures they remain the beloved mothers of their children and enjoy the fruits of their husbands’ labor.
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