Marriage is the union between two people. It is the merging of two lives and a lifelong commitment to love and care for one another (Wimalasena, 2016). Religiously, marriage has another layer of meaning; it is a sacred union that helps consolidate one’s spirituality. Islam and Christianity share a common history, including many of the same prophets and religious texts such as the Torah. However, for Muslims, the final, authoritative text is the Quran, while for Christians it is the Bible. Common prophets and texts lead to many similar principles regarding marriage, but the Quran and Bible ultimately emphasise different beliefs and as such many differences also arise. The following essay will explore the definition of marriage within Islam and Christianity, as well as the rules and regulations surrounding the union, highlighting its role in God’s divine will. The importance and purpose of marriage in the two religions will be comparatively studied as well as other issues relating to marriage including polygamy and divorce. Through this comparative study, it will become evident that Islam and Christianity possess many common views on this topic due to their shared origins, however, their differing key beliefs lead to some divergence.
The origins of Islam date back to 610 A.D when a merchant named Muhammad climbed a mountain near Mecca to meditate. While meditating, the angel Jibril appeared before him and commanded him to read. According to Islamic views, what he read was a message from God; the Quran. For many years to follow, Muhammad travelled the world, spreading his revelation. The Quran is the primary divine text from which Muslims derive the rules of their religion (Gwynne, 2018). From the Quran, it has been ascertained that God expects all Muslims, who are capable, to marry and what is expected of a husband and wife. Further rules and regulations regarding marriage have been established from hadiths which comprise of sayings and accounts of the prophet Muhammad’s life.
In Islam, marriage is the fundamental unit which makes up society. Imam Al-Bayhaqi narrated in Shuab ul Iman the hadith, “When a person gets married, he has completed half of his religion.” This hadith encapsulates how marriage can protect a Muslim from major sins such as adultery and fornication (Laluddin et al., 2014). Further having a partner allows a husband and wife to keep each other’s faith in check. Another major purpose of marriage is procreation. Marriage is the only way through which having children is Islamically permitted as sexual intercourse outside of marriage is believed to be sinful (Dogawara, 2009). A hadith from Irwa’ al-Ghaleel reports that Muhammad said, “Marry those who are loving and fertile, for I will be proud of your great numbers before the other nations,” clearly, having children is an important part of marriage as it enables the Muslim community to grow. Marriage is equivalently as essential in Christianity.
The conception of Christianity began in 6 B.C. in Bethlehem when the virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, the son of God. At the age of thirty, Jesus began his ministry and began spreading the teachings of God. Eventually, he was crucified by the Romans who saw him as a threat to the state. It is believed that his resurrection marked the beginning of Christianity. Almost a century after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the New Testament was written. The New Testament comprises of the life and teachings of Jesus and is the foundation of Christianity (Gwynne, 2018). From the New Testament it is evident that marriage was intended by God for all Christians and that it is part of God’s divine plan. There are many different variants of Christianity which all have different laws regarding marriage, this essay will focus more generally on the common beliefs of all denominations. Paul the Apostle’s Letter to the Ephesians is a key source for many laws and customs regarding marriage in Christianity as well as the Old Testament.
For Christians, marriage is a divine covenant that aims to fulfil God’s plan. It is entered into by a husband and wife, before God as the witness (Kostenberger, 2010). In the Ephesians, Paul makes the analogy that marriage between a man and a woman parallels the marriage of Christ to the church (Ephesians 5:21-27). Thus, for Christians, marriage represents a holy union; a husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church and a wife is to submit to her husband as the church submitted to Christ. Marriage, as in Islam, is believed to protect individuals from sins such as sex outside of marriage (Weise, 2014). Following God’s plan, one of the main purposes of marriage, to procreate, is evident in his command to Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…” (Genesis 1:28). It is clear that marriage is an important part of Islam and Christianity and is seen as the social and spiritual merging of two individuals to create the fundamental component of society.
In both these major world religions, conditions need to be met to fulfil the marriage. Islam and the Catholic branch of Christianity are similar in this regard as they both have explicit rules. First, for a Muslim marriage to be considered valid both the bride and groom must accept the offer to marry the other (ijab wa qabul). The guardian (wali) of the bride must also consent to the union and there must be two witnesses present at the time of marriage (Riaz, 2013). Finally, as stated in the Quran, “And give the women [upon marriage] their [bridal] gifts graciously. But if they give up willingly to you anything of it, then take it in satisfaction and ease” (Nisa, 4:4); conditions of a dowry (mahr) must be set, however, the bride may choose to waive the dowry. Catholics, like Muslims, also have explicit requirements for a valid marriage. Similar to the ijab wa qabul, a Catholic marriage must involve the consent of the bride and groom to marry for life. Further, both Muslims and Catholics require this consent to be given in the presence of two witnesses and more specifically in Catholicism, in front of a church minister as well. Finally, Catholicism also requires the bride and groom to complete Pre-Cana, a course which prepares them for marriage. Pre-Cana may be a single day course or a meeting with the couple’s priest. Pre-Cana allows couples to discuss topics that need to be considered before marriage such as finances, children and faith (Gwynne, 2018). Only once these conditions have been satisfied can a wedding occur.
Following marriage, Muslim husbands and wives gain certain responsibilities that they are required to uphold. The first responsibility is that of sexual gratification as it strengthens relations between spouses. A hadith from Mustadrak al-Wasa’il states regarding marital sex, “Your wives expect from you similar to that which you expect from them,” thus highlighting the need for both the husband and wife to be sexually satisfied. A partner is also expected to provide the other with religious guidance as the Quran states, “…save yourselves and your families from the Fire whose fuel is humans and stones” (Tahrim 66:6). Guidance may occur in the form setting a good example or encouraging the other to pray.
Responsibilities specific to men, as stated in the Quran, include supervision of the family, “Men are the protectors and supervisors of women…” (Nisa 4:34). Supervision involves assuming a mediating role and making decisions that consider the needs of all family members (Amini, 2019). Men must also provide nafaqah; financial support for his wife. This responsibility is expressed in the Quran, “Upon the father is the mothers’ provision…” (Al-Baqarah, 2:233).
The roles of a Christian husband and wife correspond to their role in the holy union. As Paul states in Ephesians, “…the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour” (Ephesians 5:23). Thus, the husband is the ‘head’ of the household as Christ is the head of the church. A husband’s role is not to dictate over his wife but to guide her (Voster, 2008). Evidently, marital responsibilities are similar in Islam and Christianity; a Muslim husband’s responsibility to supervise the family entails similar duties to being the head of the household. Additionally, a Christian husband’s role also includes, “…to love their wives…and feed and care for their body…” (Ephesians 5:28-29), this may be paralleled with nafaqah. A husband should aim to love his wife as Christ loved the church. His love is as important for the marriage to flourish as Jesus’ love was for the church to flourish. If a husband fulfils his responsibilities it is believed his wife will be able to reach the full potential God intended for her. Paul also states, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:24). Here it is apparent that the role of the wife is to respect her husband and reciprocate his love. Doing so enables her husband to reach his full potential (Lovše, 2009). Clearly, Muslims and Christians expect a husband and wife to fulfil similar roles, however, differences arise as Christian duties are influenced by the belief that marriage reflects the union of Christ and the church.
As there are conditions which establish a valid marriage, there are also conditions which do not constitute a valid marriage in Islam and Christianity. Muhammad is narrated as having said in a hadith from Wasa’il ul-Shia, “A person who commits sodomy with a boy will acquire such a janabat (impurity) that even all the water of this world cannot remove it.” While homosexual marriage is not explicitly prohibited in any religious texts, homosexuality as a concept is so abhorred that Muslim scholars unanimously agree that it is not permitted. Homosexual marriage is not permitted in Christianity either, as evident in the Corinthians, homosexuals are described as “wrongdoers [who] will not inherit the kingdom of God… Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). This verse clearly illustrates the belief that homosexuality is as sinful a transgression as adultery and idolatry. In Islam, marriage of any of the Maharim is also prohibited (Nisa 4:23). Maharim includes any close family members of blood relation such as parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Finally, marriage outside Islamic faith is permitted as long as it is with People of the Book; Jews and Christians. Marrying a polytheist, however, is not permissible as monotheism is the central tenant of Islam and marrying a polytheist is believed to lead to negative influence (Ryan, Polish, & Lamptey, 2015).
While both Islam and Christianity permit marriage outside of one’s religion, Christianity is less restrictive about what faith a Christian’s partner may have. In the Corinthians, Paul allows for interfaith marriage. Dissimilar from the Islamic rule, he does not limit this to People of the Book. Paul suggests that through interfaith marriage, the Christian partner may be able to positively influence their non-Christian partner and furthermore act as a source of salvation for them (Ryan, Polish, & Lamptey, 2015). Hence, Christianity is more accepting of interfaith marriage and believes it may lead to positive outcomes.
Polygamy, another concern for valid marriage, is permitted under Islamic law. As noted in Sahih al-Bukhari hadiths, Muhammad had eleven wives during his lifetime. At a certain point in his life, it is believed that he was married to nine women at the same time (Maddock, 2016). Evidently, polygamy is acceptable in Islam however, the Quran states, “…marry those that please you of women, two or three or four. But if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one or those your right hand possesses…” (Nisa, 4:3). From this verse, it is clear that Islam has strict guidelines concerning polygamy to ensure no mistreatment occurs.
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