8. A Precious Blessing

Abdullah ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet of Islam said: “Shall I tell you about one of life’s greatest blessings? It is a righteous wife: when her husband looks at her, she brings him joy; when he asks something of her that is right, she responds positively; and when he is away, she remains faithful to him and safeguards his trust. (Mustadrak al-Hakim, Hadith No. 1487)

The qualities of a woman described in this hadith are not merely ordinary traits. This teaching can only be properly understood when looked at not only on the surface, but also in connection with the deeper aspects of life.

For a man, a woman is not merely a domestic partner; she is his greatest treasure. Human beings are intellectual creatures, and one of their deepest needs is to have someone with whom they can share their thoughts and reflections. They need a genuine intellectual companion. A woman fulfills this need for a man. She is his trusted intellectual companion. A man’s wife is the partner who remains with him morning and evening.

A man should help his life partner develop in this way. Through education and guidance, he should help her become, in the truest sense, his intellectual partner. Some of the benefits of this intellectual companionship are indicated symbolically in the hadith mentioned above.