WOMEN IN ISLAM

it is adjustment for a higher purpose, that is, to create a normal environment in which it will be possible to achieve the real purpose of married life. Married life is not simply co-travelling; it is rather co-sharing. Both partners, after married life, are born with different qualities and need to share them with each other so that both partners may develop their personalities in a better way. Life is like a cogwheel. If the man has one cog, the woman has the other cog, and both need communion so that a joint effort may be possible. Being aware of this fact, both are willing to adjust for the sake of mutual sharing. This leads to a successful married life. SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE IN ISLAM Nature demands that men and women lead their lives together. According to Islamic law, the ideal way of leading such a life is within the bounds of marriage. It was to give this relationship legal sanction that the institution of marriage (nikah) was established. Marriage is a matter of mutual consent. The consent of both the man and the woman is sought to solemnize the nikah ceremony. The willingness of the woman is especially desired. Therefore, in Islam, marriage is a social contract entered into by mutual consent of the bride and groom. It is a sacred bond to which great religious and social importance is attached. As an institution, it is a cohesive force in society and worth protecting and preserving. To that end, detailed injunctions