Majoritatea religiilor consideră familia o binecuvântare, iar stabilitatea căsătoriei

reprezintă o valoare. Pentru musulmani, căsătoria a fost creată de Alah pentru a fi fundație pentru
indivizi și întreaga societate. Familia este considerată sufletul comunității musulmane. Viața de
familie a fost creată de Alah pentru a da unitate societății,iar musulmanii urmează din acest punct
de vedere exemplul lui Mohamed. Tradiția familiei musulmane este familia extinsă. Aceasta
include părinții, copiii, bunicii și rudele vârstnice. Majoritatea musulmanilor cred că familia
extinsă înseamnă o stabilitate mai mare, continuitate, iubire și sprijin reciproc.1

Legea islamică și practica acesteia iau în considerare diferențele de gen, având drept
consecință drepturi ți obligații diferite pentru bărbați și femei. Majoritatea musulmanilor cred că
bărbatul și femeia au fost creați pentru a se completa reciproc, așa cum Coranul îi învață :

„O, voi oameni! Noi v-am creat pe voi dintr-un bãrbat și o muiereºi v-am fãcut
pe voi popoare ºi triburi, pentru ca sã vã cunoaºteþi. Celmai cinstit dintre voi la Allah
este cel mai evlavios dintre voi. Allah esteAtoateºtiutor [ºi] Bineºtiutor”

Roles of men and women

Islamic law and practice recognise the differences between the sexes, resulting in different roles
and obligations for men and women. However, many Muslims believe that men and women
complement each other. The Qur'an states:

O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations
and tribes, that you may know one another.Qur'an 49:13

In many Islamic societies, the woman's role is in the home and the man's role is in the public
realm of the working world.

The Qur'an and the Hadith refer to the biological differences that mean men are generally
physically stronger than women. Men, therefore, are regarded as protectors of women and
families, and providers of financial support. Women are expected to have children and to fulfil
the role of wife and mother.

The extent to which Muslims abide by the rules of sharia law and how they interpret this
depends –as in all reli-gions –on the judgement of the individ-ual. This includes important
contextual factors, such as traditions and cultural conventions, but also the political im-

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portance of sharia law in the respective country. Interesting insights into context-sensitive
diversity are provided by the results of the Pew Research Center’sglobal opinion polls on
the role of wom-en in society:Muslims whofavour sharia law as the applicable legal
structure of their country support a conservative interpretation of gender roles.In 20 out of
the 23 countries sur-veyed, significantly more than 50% of Muslims are of the opinion that a
woman should obey her husband.In South East Asia, Central Asia and South East Europe,
80-90% of Muslims believe that women should decide for themselves on whether they
should wear aveil. In Sub-Saharan Africa only 30-50% are of this opinion.In 13 of the 23
countries, signifi-cantly more than 50% of the re-spondents are for the right of wom-en to
divorce and for inheritance and ownership rights. Lagging be-hind are Iraq, Jordan, Egypt
and Malaysia, with rates of acceptance of these rights below 15%.Only half of the countries
show the women interviewed as having signifi-cantly different attitudes to men.

Protection and nurturing

Many Muslims believe that family life is the foundation of human society providing a secure,
healthy and nurturing environment for parents and growing children. The best place to pass on
and develop human virtues such as love, kindness, mercy and compassion is in a family.

The family unit should encourage the individual to see themselves as part of a wider community
and should discourage anti-social behaviour. Many Muslims believe that these values are not just
for the benefit of individual families, but also the worldwide Islamic community, the Ummah.

Caring for the elderly

Muslims treat the elderly with dignity. Many consider it to be an honour and a blessing from
Allah to be able to look after their elderly relatives and give them care with kindness, patience
and respect. It is also a duty.

Parenting and children

Muslim parents have a responsibility to care for their children physically and emotionally. Their
goal is for their children to grow into self-disciplined, independent adults. Parents are expected to
teach their children right from wrong.

Children are expected to respect their parents. The child's duties to its parents are second only to
its duties to Allah. Commandments from the Qur'an, and also the sayings of the Prophet
Muhammad, talk about the respect children should have for their parents.

Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him and that you be kind to your
parents. If one of them or both of them reach old age with you, do not say to them a word of
disrespect… and act humbly to them in mercy.Qur'an 17:23-24

Children and spiritual development

The mother is at the heart of the Muslim family and is responsible for teaching children about
halal and haram in the home. The father is responsible for taking the children to the mosque.

Muslim children are born into a state of fitrah, meaning purity and awareness of God. The
parents have the responsibility of developing their spirituality. This may be achieved through
teachings and daily life, but also by enrolling a child at a madrasah.

What does this mean in practice?

The mosque

Some mosques operate special schools called madrasahs during evenings and weekends to
educate Muslim children about Islam and to teach them to read the Qur'an. Most children will
attend the madrasah from five years old. Some of the learning includes:

 To recite the Qur'an with tajwid – that is with correct pronunciation so it can be
understood.

 The Arabic language.

 Islamic Studies, involving beliefs, prayer, fasting and other Islamic rituals.

Many mosques have family committees which can support Muslim families going through
difficult times. Some mosques use their zakah funds to help families in financial difficulties.
Mosques also act as social centres.

There are special prayer services during Friday lunchtimes, attended by fathers and sons, and
special services attended by the whole family. In Islam, men and women pray separately.

Marriage

Marriage is expected for all Muslims and sex should only take place within a marriage.

Marriage is intended to be:

 for the mutual love and support of the husband and wife

 for the sexual expression of love

 for the conception and raising of children

 to support a stable society

Care for the elderly

In Islamic countries (and in Muslim communities in non-Islamic countries) it is rare to find a
retirement home. Caring for parents and the elderly is considered an honour and a blessing and
an opportunity for greater spiritual growth.

It is not enough to simply pray. Muslims are expected to act with compassion. Mothers are
particularly honoured.

Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents.
If one of them or both of them reach old age with you, do not say to them a word of disrespect,
or scold them, but say a generous word to them.Qur'an 17:23-24

Arranged marriages

In some religious traditions marriages are 'arranged' by the young person's family. Parents regard
it as a serious responsibility to find a suitable partner for their son or daughter. The final choice
is usually made by the young person, who is free to reject as many of the potential marriage
partners as they wish until they meet someone who they are happy to marry.

Some families may come from a tradition of arranged marriages but now adopt a more Western
way of finding a suitable partner, eg approaching a matchmaking or dating agency. This often
has the full support of parents. An arranged marriage is not the same as a forced marriage.

Divorce

An increasing number of marriages now break down and end in divorce. Most religious
traditions recognise that divorce is sometimes unavoidable. Attitudes to remarriage after divorce
vary within and between religious traditions.

Most Muslims believe marriage is a fundamental building block of life. Marriage is a contract
between a man and woman to live together as husband and wife. The marriage contract is called
a nikah.

For most Muslims the purpose of marriage is to:

 keep faithful to each other for the rest of their lives

 have children and bring them up in the Muslim faith

Marriage is mentioned many times in the Qur'an, which Muslims believe is the word of God, as
revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, and therefore, they follow its teachings on marriage.

And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may
dwell in peace and tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your
(hearts).Qur'an 30:21
Muslims also regard the teachings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad as a source of
authority. In the Qur'an it says that the Prophet was married, and therefore most Muslims look to
follow his example.

In the Qur'an, Muslim men are allowed up to four wives, as long as they can treat each one
equally. This is known as polygamy. However, if they cannot treat them equally, Muslim men
are advised to have just one wife, and this is the practice in most modern Islamic socieities.

Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal
justly (with them), then marry only one.Qur'an 4:3

Muslim women are only allowed one husband.

Many Muslims do not agree with pre-marital sex and therefore Muslim couples do not usually
live together until they are married.

What does this mean in practice?

Many Muslims accept arranged marriages, where parents are involved in the selection of a
suitable marriage partner for their adult child, because:

 the family has a say in the choice of whom their son or daughter will marry

 the families can get to know each other and feel comfortable with the union

Many Muslims are against civil partnerships and same-sex marriages because:

 they believe homosexuality is haram

 they believe marriage is a contract between a man and woman which has the potential to
create children

Although it is not encouraged, most Muslims agree that divorce is permitted if a marriage has
broken down, and generally Muslims are permitted to re-marry if they so wish.

However, there are differences between Muslims about the procedures for divorce and
remarriage:

 Sunni Muslims do not require witnesses. The husband must express his desire for a
divorce on three separate occasions with a waiting period of three months.

 Shi'ah Muslims require two witnesses, followed by a waiting period before a marriage
can end.

 If a woman initiates a divorce it is called khula. There must be a waiting period to ensure
the woman is not pregnant.
Although Shari'ah Law permits divorce, in the Hadith, Abdullah ibn Umar reported that the
Prophet Muhammad said, The most detestable of lawful things before Allah is divorce. So
although divorce is allowed, Muslims should try to avoid it, if possible.

This means that many Muslims who experience marital difficulties will try to resolve their
issues. It is also because they have made a contract before God, called a nikah, to remain
together for life and divorce would mean breaking that contract.

What does this mean in practice?

A couple can go to their mosque for advice and support from the Imam if they are experiencing
marital problems. Extended families also play a vital role in trying to help the couple sort out any
issues. However, in some situations a couple might feel divorce is their only option.