Negative attitudes and Islamic teachings regarding women's marriage and Relationships

خواتین کے نکاح اور رشتوں سے متعلق منفی رویّے اور اسلامی تعلیمات

Abstract

Islam regards marriage as a pure, natural, and sacred bond that serves not only as a means of personal moral and spiritual fulfillment but also as a foundation for social stability. The Qur’an and Sunnah emphasize mutual consent, respect, justice, and balanced rights for both men and women in marriage. Despite this clear Islamic framework, many Muslim societies continue to practice negative social attitudes toward women in matters of marriage that directly contradict Islamic teachings. This study critically examines such practices, including ignoring a woman’s consent in marriage, placing unjust financial burdens on the bride’s family, considering dowry obligatory, humiliating women due to delayed marriage proposals, viewing women’s education or employment negatively, and objecting to the remarriage of widowed or divorced women. Through evidence from the Qur’an, Prophetic traditions, classical Islamic jurisprudence, and the Prophet’s practical example, it is demonstrated that these attitudes stem from pre-Islamic or cultural customs rather than from Islamic law. Islam grants women the right to consent to marriage, financial security, personal dignity, and the capacity to make independent decisions. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ practically challenged societal prejudices by