The Compassionate Family

158 Pages·2018·1.77 MB·English

by  Sayyid Ali Khamenei

The
Compassionate
Family

Advice and Guidance from
Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei

Translated by
Alexander Khaleeli and Mona Makki
Collected from the speeches of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei

Translated by Alexander Khaleeli and Mona Makki
Edited by Rizwan Rashid and Hina Zehra Rizvi

Special thanks to Sahba Institute for their many efforts in
making this publication available in its original language.

Copyright © AIM Foundation, 2018

ISBN 978-0-9957589-0-2 (pb)
Second edition published in 2018

Published by
AIM Foundation
[email protected]
www.aimislam.com
Dedicated to the Most Holy and
Compassionate Family, the Ahlulbayt
(peace be upon them)

CONTENTS
PREFACE ........................................................................................ I
WITH EVERY MARRIAGE A FAMILY IS BORN ................. 1
Marriage and Sanctity ................................................................. 2
Importance of Marriage in Islam ................................................. 3
The Right Time for Marriage ...................................................... 5
Choosing a Spouse ...................................................................... 8
Marriage in the Qur’an .............................................................. 14
The Paragon of Marriage: ‘Ali and Fatimah ............................. 16
An Islamic Occasion ................................................................. 19
Strengthening the Marital Bond ................................................ 24
Being Grateful for Marriage ...................................................... 26
THE FAMILY, THE WORLD’S FIRST INSTITUTION ....... 29
The Role of the Family in Society ............................................ 29
The Family Institution ............................................................... 35
Family: an Abode of Peace ....................................................... 37
Recognizing the Value of Domestic Work ............................... 42
Natural Human Desires ............................................................. 46
Positive Upbringing of Children ............................................... 49
The Binding Matter of Love ..................................................... 51
Importance of Trust ................................................................... 53
A Covering for One Another ..................................................... 55
Keeping Each Other on the Heavenly Path ............................... 58
Marriage: A Spiritual or Material Transaction .......................... 63
A New Life of Simplicity .......................................................... 70
The Importance of Accommodating Each ................................ 72
Other ......................................................................................... 72
MEN & WOMEN: THE GENDER ISSUE .............................. 79
Gender in Islam ......................................................................... 79
The Distinct Roles of Men and Women .................................... 85
Islam’s View on Women ........................................................... 87
The Importance of Hijab ........................................................... 94
Conceptualizing Women’s Freedom ......................................... 99
Honouring Women .................................................................. 102
Women and Society ................................................................ 106
Gender Regulations in Islam ................................................... 111
The Worth of a Muslim Woman ............................................. 115
The Role of a Mother .............................................................. 119
The Rewarded Struggle of a Woman ...................................... 121
CLOSING WORDS OF ADVICE ........................................... 129
Key Advice to Women ............................................................ 129
Key Advice to Men ................................................................. 133
GLOSSARY ............................................................................... 137
INDEX OF QUR’ĀNIC VERSES ........................................... 141
NOTES ........................................................................................ 144
Preface| I

PREFACE

T
he family is the foundation of society, and from it stems
new life and a thriving purpose to develop and achieve
great things. It is the cornerstone of life and is humanity’s
greatest social institution.
In Islam, marriage and the formation of a family is
regarded as one of the most important objectives for a person
to achieve. This importance is demonstrated through the
judicial and moral teachings of Islam, which guide us through
an array of family issues in order to cater for our spiritual and
physical needs.
Today, we live in a world where secularism, individualism
and materialism have been aggressively pushed at the human
consciousness such that family values are being undermined
and eroded. This has resulted in moral decay and other
harmful outcomes that prevent the attainment of long-term
happiness and stability. Although neglecting family values can
allow for a short-lived material fulfilment for some people, the
collective prosperity of society cannot be possible without
special attention to the family.
This book is our humble contribution to this important
subject. It is a collection of advice and antidotes provided by
II |The Compassionate Family

Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, a theologian, jurist and
statesman who holds the post of being the foremost Islamic
authority and head of state of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Despite all his engagements, Ayatollah Khamenei often
conducts the marriage ceremonies of newlyweds, and this
book is a collection of some of his words of advice during those
sessions.
This book was initially put together by the Sahba
Institute in Iran and published in Farsi as a publication
entitled ‘Khanevade’ meaning the Family. It is now available in
English to share the Islamic teachings on this subject and to
present them as an alternative way to attain happiness as
opposed to the current material and secular ideas that are
prevalent in our society.
Much thought went into the naming of this book as we
felt the literal translation was not sufficient for its new English
audience and after many brainstorming sessions we reached
the name ‘The Compassionate Family’ which is inspired by the
verse of the Holy Qur’an:

اجً اوَ زْ َأ مْ كُ سِ ُفنَأ نْ مِِّ مكُ َل قَ َلخَ نْ َأ هِ ِتاَيآ نْ مِ وَ
كَ لَِذَٰ يِف نَّ ِإ ً ةمَ حْ رَ وَ ًةَّدوَ مَّ مكُ َنيْ َب لَ َعجَ وَ اهَ يْ َلِإ اوُنكُ سْ َتِّلِ
نَ ورُ كَّ َفَتَي مٍ وْ َقِّلِ تٍ اَيلََ
“And of His signs is that He created for you spouses from
among yourselves so that you may find rest in them, and He
put between you love and compassion; most surely there are
signs in this for a people who reflect.”
(Holy Qur’an 30:21)