STATUS OF A VIRTUOUS WOMAN

Hazrat Abu Umama reported that the Messenger of Allah says: Next to piety the believer gets no other well-being which is better for him than a virtuous wife. If the husband bids her anything, she should carry it out and when the husband looks at her she should please him and if the husband bids her on a oath to do something, she should fulfil his oath and if he goes away to some other place leaving her behind in the house, she should watch his interest in her own person and his property.’ (Ibne Majah)

Explanation

It is stated in this Hadees that piety is a great blessing. This is the most auspicious blessing that a man can win; in reality piety is another name for sincere devotion to religion. Piety consists of fulfilling the duties and obligations and renouncing unlawful forbidden acts. This quality endears man to Allah.
Next to piety there are several other blessings which are less in degree than piety but which, nevertheless, are necessary and valuable for human life. What is the best of these lesser blessings? The Pride of the Universe says: Next to piety, the greatest blessing is a virtuous wife.’

The Qualities of a Virtuous Woman

She should be obedient to her husband. She should not grieve him by assuming a defiant attitude, provided the husband does not ask her to do anything contrary to Shariat. There is no obligation to obey an order which is derogatory to Shariah, no matter who gives the order. The obedience to such an order would be disobedience to the Creator, Master, the Glorious and the Magnificent Who is the Supreme Ruler.

It is stated: ‘When the husband looks at her, she should please him.’

This means that she should adapt herself to the tastes and interests of her husband, so that whenever he looks at her, he should feel delight. Some women adopt a haughty mien appearance and become resentful at rifling matters. There are some who adopt the habit of groaning all the time to show they are unwell. Some again pay no attention to their personal appearance and look unkept and filthy. This sort of thing makes the husband feel sore at heart. He grows averse to look at his wife. Home becomes hell for him. Some women are devout in the observance of Namaaz and fast. They regard themselves as religious and immaculate. They forget that it is one of the virtues of a woman to comply with the wishes of her husband so that he may look at her with a sensation of delight. However, they are not obliged to carry out such wishes of their husbands as are not in keeping with Shariah law.

It is said that if the husband takes a vow whose fulfilment depends on wife, for instance if he vows that she must visit her mother in law or give a bath to a child or perform Tahajjud, then she must fulfil this vow by acting as he bids, provided that the action he wishes her to perform is lawful in Shariah.

It is only out of extraordinary love and devotion that one involves another in his vow. It is only to someone special that a man can bid an oath to do something. On such occasions the husband either binds his wife an oath or takes unilateral oath on her behalf. Wives who cherish genuine love for their husbands take particular care to please their husbands.

It is stated that is, as often happens, the husband goes away somewhere else leaving the wife at home, it is  the duty of  the wife that she should assume the same attitude as regards her body or husbands wealth as she had in his presence. A self-respecting husband does not like his wife to look at an unfamiliar man or come before or look into his eyes.