A short yet concise manual on the legal rulings of marriage authored by one of the beacons of light in his time, Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen, with comments from some of the Scholars of Islaam, past and present.
The Definition of Marriage: After providing the linguistic meaning of marriage, Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen stated that the technical, religious meaning and purpose of marriage is: "The conclusion of a contract of marriage between a man and a women, with each of the two desiring to enjoy and take pleasure in one another, to establish a righteous family, and to create a safe and sound society.
From the Wisdom of Marriage:
1) Preservation and protection of both mates. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: “O party of young men! Whoever among you has the ability to get married, then let him marry for surely it will be a means of lowering the gaze and protecting the private parts.”
2) Protection of the society from evil and the disintegration of [good] character, for without marriage, vices or despicable acts would spread amongst men and women.
3) The fulfillment of pleasure of one mate with the other, concerning what is mandated for him of rights and sexual intercourse. Since the man is responsible for the woman, he takes care of the maintenance of food, drink, housing and clothing with what is beneficial. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: “Upon you is their provisions and clothing from what is beneficial.” And the woman is also responsible for establishing for the man, that which is required of her in the home of supervision and correction. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: “The woman is a shepherd in her home and she will be questioned concerning her flock.”
4) Perfection of relations between families and tribes. For how many times do we see two distant families that do not know each other?"
The new edition includes a second appendix containing advice for the newlyweds.
