In Islam, the sanctity of love between man and woman is strictly respected, bound to high moral values granted by the pure and regulated bond of marriage, and the more faithful partners are, the more promising and rewarding the marriage proves to be.   Any matter that falls out of the boundaries of regulation is a cause of disturbance and misbalance, and human relations are certainly no exception. In Islam, matrimony is about love and mutual respect intertwined, and is tightly linked to faith and purity. In Islam love and faith are inseparable. Love without faith leads to immorality, and faith without love means an imbalanced human personality. Allah, the Almighty, says in the Holy Quran, “Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so – for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.”- – Quran 33:35 For Muslims, the sanctity of love between man and woman is strictly respected, bound to high moral values granted by the pure and regulated bond of marriage, and the more faithful partners are, the more promising and rewarding the marriage proves to be. Love, even between man and woman, is not forbidden in Islam nor restricted, actually the opposite is true, it’s rather protected under the pure Islamic guidance, in a set of regulations called “Marriage”- It’s a kind of divine love bond that’s not to be taken lightly nor manipulated into some kind of secret relations, that waste such precious human emotions. A deeper look into Islamic morals bounding marriage, one would grasp the graciousness and refined manners Islam teaches human beings. In Islam, matrimony involves tenderness, compassion, and mutual respect, with a strict emphasis laid in preserving spouses’ dignity and meeting each others’ needs. Partners are secret keepers, who live each other’s dreams and aspirations. And we cannot miss the great love story of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his beloved wife, lady Khadijah, his first ever wife and the first to believe in him and his message. Regardless of the fact that Lady Khadijah believed in the divine signs of Prophethood that kept unfolding before her as personified in Prophet Muhammad and as explained by her nephew Waraqa Ibn Nawfal, who deciphered the signs of Muhammad’s Prophethood, she lived the Prophet’s dream, supported his mission, and aided his efforts. She walked in Prophet Muhammad’s shadow and saved no shred of power or faith in serving his duty, like no other wife did, even at times of calamities, actually she was of exceptional support to him at times of sever difficulties, those times when Quraysh made his life almost impossible. Lady Khadijah was home for Prophet Muhammad’s secrets, pains and worries. She was his best friend and trusted lover. A wife, a mother, and a daughter- an endless source of support and warmness that he truly needed, even though he was a Prophet. And for Lady Khadijah, Prophet Muhammad was an ideal husband, a matchless source of protection, peace, tenderness and care- even though he was some 15 years younger than her. And certainly having strong faith in Allah and a pure heart that loved and revered the religion of Allah, that is Islam, cleansed the two hearts, and united their pursuit in one. For Prophet Muhammad, life was about the Message of Islam and ultimate submission and servitude of Allah. And for Lady Khadijah, same was the case. The more pious spouses can be, the more pure their hearts are and more ready to receive each others’ love, which is a crucial factor for successful marriage. Yes- – Unless partners are open to receiving each other’s love, the channel needed for the circulation of tenderness and positive feelings amongst them gets blocked, and so does the entire foundation of love and partnership, a severe detrimental factor, qualified to bring down the entire marriage. And the opposite is true. When partners’ hearts are pure, eager and ready to receive each other’s love, the relation becomes lively and continues to be so, creating great potential for the divine bond of marriage to last and prosper into a promising, warm and most enjoyable relation ever. Compassion, Tenderness, Respect and Love intertwined are ultimately encouraged between spouses. And wherever there’s faith, there’s certainly pure and balanced hearts that can love and keep up the bond of love. This is the perfect formula for successful marriage, love and faith- combined. Wassalaam, Maha Youssuf maha@muslimtribune.org