30:21 ~ Purpose of Spouses

Bismillah

Word by word analysis of this lovely ayah from Surah Room:

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ مَوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَ‌ٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

‘wa min ayaatihi, and from His Signs’: These ayaat are a sign of Allah’s Qudrah, they show His Power and Might. We know that ayaat are of two types: kawni, which is of the creation and shar’i, which is of the religion.

an: that, khalaq, He created, lakum, for you all. Lakum here means He created for your sake, for you benefit, for your pleasure and to fulfill your needs.

‘min anfusikum, from yourselves’: meaning your own kind, not of animals or jinn, but humans like you.

azwaajan, plural of zawj, and it can mean wives and spouses.

li-taskunoo, so that you all obtain peace. The ‘li‘ in the beginning of this ayah is the laam of reason, which means that the reason for making spouses of your own kind is so that you may find peace. It’s the similarities, not the differences, that is a cause of attraction. li taskunoo: you may find rest, calmness, tranquility, repose. From sa-ka-na, which means to be still.

And here is what I really wanted to share: ‘wa ja’ala baynakum and He has made between you’, ‘mawwadatan wa rahmah’‘.

Mawwadah is from wudd (wow-daal-daal), and it’s a type of love where one wishes for good for the other. It is not a selfish love, it is a love that hopes good for the other. Hubb, another type of love, can be one sided, but mawaddah is from both sides and you want khayr for the other. It is a caring behavior, you consider their needs, desires, wishes. The person is ready to sacrifice for the other.
‘wa rahmah and rahmah’: mercy, compassion, kindness, affection.

Allah says at the end ‘inna fee thaalika la aayaatin li qaumin yatafakaroon, this is an ayah for a people who do fikr, tafakkur’: they ponder, reflect, think deeply and go beyond the surface.

amazing, right? SubhanAllah just ONE ayah of the Qur’an contains this much and this analysis wasn’t even in depth. May Allah ta’ala makes us companions of the Qur’an, Ameen.