All the FOUR daughters of the Prophet salallahu alaihi wassalam had to return back to their father’s house at some point in their marriages, He welcomed them back with open arms, listened to their plights and resolved it. Many fathers of today consider it a taboo for their daughters to return home once they are married off.
Zainab radiAllahu anha, the first daughter of the Prophet had to return to her father’s house with her two children since her husband refused to embrace Islam, their marriage was terminated and her father welcomed her back and took care of her bills again for another two whole years before her husband Abul Aas finally embraced Islam, so they got married again for the second time.
The second and third daughters of the Prophet, Ruqaiyah and Umm Kulthum were both divorced on the same day by the sons of Abu Lahaab, do you know what it means for two of your daughters who recently got married and made you proud, to be divorced and sent packing with their luggages at once ? Yet, their father welcomed them back home until they were later married one after the other by a man who was better than their two previous husbands.
Fatima RadiAllahu anha never suffered a broken marriage, but she once came to her father complaining about her husband Ali, she said:
ﻳَﺰْﻋُﻢُ ﻗَﻮْﻣُﻚَ ﺃَﻧَّﻚَ ﻻَ ﺗَﻐْﻀَﺐُ ﻟِﺒَﻨَﺎﺗِﻚَ، ﻫَﺬَﺍ ﻋَﻠِﻲٌّ ﻧَﺎﻛِﺢٌ ﺑِﻨْﺖَ ﺃَﺑِﻲ ﺟَﻬْﻞٍ
(It seems your people think that you don’t get angry on behalf of your daughters, that is Ali, he wants to marry the daughter of Abu Jahl)
Her father listened to her, and took up the matter immediately and addressed the people saying:
ﻻَ ﺗَﺠْﺘَﻤِﻊُ ﺑِﻨْﺖُ ﺭَﺳُﻮﻝِ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪِ ﻭَﺑِﻨْﺖُ ﻋَﺪُﻭِّ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪِ ﻋِﻨْﺪَ ﺭَﺟُﻞٍ ﻭَﺍﺣِﺪٍ ﺃَﺑَﺪًﺍ
(The daughter of the messenger of Allah and the daughter of the enemy of Allah would never be co-wives under one husband)
He further said:
ﺇِﻻَّ ﺃَﻥْ ﻳُﺤِﺐَّ ﺍﺑْﻦُ ﺃَﺑِﻲ ﻃَﺎﻟِﺐٍ ﺃَﻥْ ﻳُﻄَﻠِّﻖَ ﺍﺑْﻨَﺘِﻲ ﻭَﻳَﻨْﻜِﺢَ ﺍﺑْﻨَﺘَﻬُﻢْ
(Except if Ali wants to divorce my daughter for me, then he can marry their daughter)
He salallahu alayhi wassalam didn’t mind if his daughter was going to be divorced, her comfort was His major priority.
This is not to say, women should walk out of their marriages for flilmsy reasons, rather for genuine reasons only, and her family should be her first arbitration point. However, when many fathers give out their daughters today, they say:
‘You are now a married woman, you have no space in this house anymore, whatever happens in your marriage, good or bad, remain there like that, else you will never be welcomed here anymore, don’t shame us before the society’.
Such statements make women think that divorce is a bad omen or an abomination, hence they don’t wish to suffer its stigma, they’d rather silently get perished under their husband than confiding in her family, for she knows she won’t be welcomed anymore. Marriage isn’t a life sentence.
So, an average wife sticks to her husband even if she suffers oppression, humiliation, deviation in her Eeman or even if her husband goes astray, for she feels she has no safe haven to go, so she stays put silently till she is destroyed too or she ends up asking admins to hide her identity up and down all over social media which yields no positive result.
May Allah rectify our affairs. ameen
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