قال الله عز و جل: ومن اْياته ان خلق لكم من انفسكم ازواجا لتسكنوا اليها و جعل بينكم مودة و رحمة ان في ذلك لاْيات لقوم يتفكرون

Allah states in the Quran e Majeed, “It is one of the signs of Allah that he created for you wives from your selves so that you may find solace in them, and he has placed love and rehmat between you. Indeed in that are signs for those who contemplate.

The above ayat sharifa emphasizes five points:

• Allah has created all things in pairs
• Allah has created woman from the soul of man
• Allah has created woman so that man can find solace in her
• Allah has placed love and rehmat between man and woman
• Allah encourages us to contemplate on his creation

The assertion that Allah has created woman from the soul of man has a couple of explanations.

The first and most literal is that when Allah created Adam from earth, and gave him a soul, he wished to create a wife for him. He made Adam fall asleep and commanded Jibraeel to break off one of his ribs. From this Hawwa was created. This is confirmed by the fact that a woman has twelve ribs while a man has eleven.

The second explanation is that Allah has created a mate for man, not from a different species but from the very same human species.

Thirdly each wife is more or less compatible with her husband, possessing the same qualities of mind, virtue, morals and beauty or lack thereof. The Quran states: “The depraved women are for the depraved men, and the depraved men are for the depraved women and the righteous women are for the righteous men and the righteous men are for the righteous women.”

The ayat encourages marriage; the creation of woman from man’s soul is one of the bounties of Allah which should be accepted and not rejected. Not looking for a soul-mate is a rejection of Allah’s gifts.

The ayat points out that true affection and love are found between man and his wife; other forms of love are of a lesser degree.

Love in animals is limited to mating. In humans however it is not only a means of reproduction; it permeates all aspects of married life. A blissful marriage can only be achieved if there is harmony and harmony requires love and affection.

Allah has singled out man alone for this ne’mat