To all my readers out there, I wish you a Happy Eid-Fitr in advance. As we celebrate let us not forget the lesson the about to conclude Holy Month of Ramadan has taught each and every one of us. Ramadan come and goes once in every year but the spirit and lesson of the blessed month remain.

In this last Friday of Ramadan it is important to round up our marriage discussion with some guides that will make it survive. Therefore, let us talk about some guides that can make our marriage eternal. This is due to the fact that more marriages are breaking up in their first year than ever before.

In marriage, the first five to seven years are the most challenging. They are the time a couple spends getting to know each other better and adjusting to each other’s habits and personalities. What I will point out below is the main problems couples face in the early years and some possible solutions.

One of the main problems is the lack of proper information before marriage. A number of problems are caused simply by the fact that the couple and their families have not discussed crucial issues beforehand. Most of these issues include whether or not the wife will work outside the home or not; child bearing and upbringing issues; and whether the couple will live with their parents or have their own separate dwelling. As we can see in the family of the young couples, the above is causing more harm to their marriage because there was no proper discussion on some issues before getting married.

Another big problem in marriage is the tug-of-war issue. Who is in charge?This often leads to arguments and disrespect as well as bitter feelings. Many couples in our society refuse to compromise when differences arise. Everyone like to claim superiority over another! This is just simply because they lack enough understanding and endurance and respect for each right from the begins of their relation.

Looking at thing from Islamic perspective, the husband is given the leadership role in the marriage relationship. This doesn't mean he runs the couple's family life like a dictatorship. The couple should live in free and friendly atmosphere. As head of the family, you are a leader. As a leader you must also have humility. A husband exercises the right kind of leadership by listening to and consulting his wife. A husband is bound to follow the rules of the two Holy Books. Therefore, if there are differences in opinion, one should refer to these two Holy Books, Bible and Al Qur’an.

Divorce is one word couples should avoid using even keep away from. It is not good to threaten one's partner with "I will divorce you one day" or "it is my letter of divorce that I am waiting for". Once upon a time, divorce was the seven-letter word most religious couples avoided. But today it is becoming the pet name within the family both in the provinces and in the cities.

It should be remembered that out of all of the things Allah has made righteous, divorce is the one He hates the most. Couples need to look at several other alternatives before turning to this drastic measure or decision. Couples should seek the help ofwiser and trustworthy elders who will try to help them resolve their differences. Generally, husband and wife need to make a sincere, concerted effort to try to work things out before divorce is seriously considered.

Another problem is the issue of extra-marital affairs. It is unrealistic to expect the issue of affairs and affairs-related problems to mysteriously disappear once a couple gets married. In reality, it takes time, commitment, disappointment and investment to establish a good love relationship in marriage, which is in tune with the needs of each partner.

Religiously, it is important for a couple to go into marriage with proper information about affairs and affairs etiquette. They need to know what is permissible and what is forbidden. They should also keep in mind that spouses must never discuss their affairs with others, unless it is to get help for a specific problem with the right person or authority figure. On a similar note, it is important for both the husband and wife to remember that they need to make themselves physically attractive to each other. Too many couples take marriage to mean an excuse to let themselves go.

Another major thing that should not be overlooked in marriage concerns in-laws. The first few years of marriage are not just a period of adjustment for the married couple. It is one of getting used to in-laws and vice-versa. Problems with in-laws problem sometimes cause a lot of damage in a young couple's married life.

Husbands, wives and in-laws need to practice the religion which lays down rules of the social relation with each other.Also, comparisons need to be avoided, since every individual and every couple is different. So wives should not be compared to mothers and sisters. Likewise, husbands should not be compared to fathers and brothers. In-laws should not be compared to parents and so on.

Remember realism in marriage. Boy meets girl and they fall in love. They live happily ever after. That is the scenario of many of the Bollywood, Nollywood and Hollywood movies, where everyone or thing is perfect. In real life, it is very different. So a couple may enter marriage with high-flying romantic ideas and expecting their partner to be the ideal human. But nature takes effect. This is because all humans have good and bad points. Husband and wife have to learn to accept other.

Try to establish your own lifestyle and rituals as a couple. It is very important if both the couples are working or going to school. The following can be established as rituals: Attending a study circle together, deciding on a weekly or daily menu, praying at least one prayer together everyday, having a special breakfast together every weekend or each holiday. Additionally, you can set a time or day to discuss finances and budget with your partner, making a phone contact during the day when you are at work or school and so on to keep the communication going and increase the velocity of the love between each other.

Doing the above as rituals, couples learn how to talk to and feel responsible for each other. They also learn to become a team instead of two people living in the same house with separate and different lives.

A number of young couples are notorious for not keeping secrets, especially related to private matters. They expose their spouse's faults. This is not only unacceptable but it is unreligious. Spouses should seek to hide each other's faults. They should seek advice on marriage problems from a marriage mentor or counsellor. That is someone who is older, wiser, trustworthy, and has the best interests of both parties at heart.

A special note to husbands: In the beginning of marriage, husbands tend to shower their wives with gifts. They do this as an expression of love and because they want to provide for their wives. However, as time passes and they keep giving, they go into debt or experience financial difficulty. Furthermore, wives get used to a certain level of comfort which husbands can no longer afford.

Providing for a wife (and later on, a family) is not just reserved to material things. It includes spending time with her, and treating her with equity and kindness. In fact, most wives prefer this kind of provision to expensive gifts.

To round up this marriage survival guide, give each other space. A number of couples think being married means always being together and serving each other on hand and foot. A wife may initially take over all household chores, not letting the husband help or even do his own things like ironing his own clothes. They later regret this as household responsibilities increase and their husbands become dependent on them for the smallest things.

Husbands may think getting married means being with their wives all the time. This may later lead them to becoming irritable and cranky. The key is to focus on being caring, fond of and accepting each other and giving each other sufficient space. Doing this provides a necessary balance in a relationship which is so close physically and emotionally.

A real love story

Many things concerning marriage has been discussed since the beginning of the month that we are about to finish. However, I will like to crown it up this Friday with this beautiful story that might have read by some in the past. It is a heart touching good story that tells the story of real love between a couples.

This is because there is nothing like true love. And the lesson behind this story you are about to read will tell you that to love is nothing, to be loved is something but to love and be loved by the one you love is everything. That is to say we should never take love for granted.

There is a lovely couple that are living together in the little apartment God provided for them. One day, the wife, who had very long hair, asked the love and caring husband for a comb, requesting him to buy her a comb for her hair to grow well and as well to make the hair well-groomed. The man felt very sorry, unhappy and decline her request and said ‘no.’

He gently explained to the wife that he did not even have not or enough money to fix the strap of his watch he had just broken. The good wife did not insist on her request but only wish him good luck. The husband went to work and passed by a watch shop, he sold his damaged watch at a low price and just to buy a comb for his wife.

He came home in the evening with the comb in his hand ready to give to his wife. But a surprise, he saw his wife with a very short hair cut! The wife too, has sold her hair and was holding a new wrist watch. Tears flowed simultaneously from their eyes, not for the futility of their actions, but for the care and reciprocity of their love.

Learn from this, it is a lesson of love without condition but true love.

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