What did al-Ghazali say about marriage?
Al-Ghazali treated the nikāḥ as a station of worship — with its benefits, its dangers, and its specific demands on both spouses. His chapter is bracingly direct.
8 passages from 4 books in the library
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 4 books by Imam al-Ghazali and Ibn Battuta — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"Among the etiquettes, the husband's matter should be presented to the wife's hearing, and if she is a virgin, that is more appropriate and conducive to affection."
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"If marriage or intercourse were avoided for this reason, it would be sinful not because of refraining from marriage or intercourse"
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"Also, intending marriage for the establishment of the sunnah, lowering the gaze, seeking offspring, and other benefits that have been mentioned, and not merely for passion and pleasure, so that his deed becomes worldly."
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"If she lacks religious commitment in safeguarding herself and her chastity, she may bring disgrace to her husband and tarnish his reputation, causing turmoil in his heart with jealousy, thus making his life bitter."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"The hadith of Zayd Ibn Aslam regarding Umm Ayman and the story of the whiteness in her husband's eyes was narrated by Al-Zubayr Ibn Bakar"
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta →
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"During my stay in Mali, the Sultan became angry with his chief wife, his cousin's daughter named Kasa, meaning queen in their tongue."
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"She was imprisoned by some of the archers, and his other wife, Banju, who was not of royal blood, was elevated in her place."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"One such instance is the fatwa stating that if a woman waives her dowry, the husband is acquitted in the sight of Allah."
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