This hadith on choosing the right husband is generally applicable to females to whom a man brings a proposal or her Waliy (guardian). We should take note of this hadith pointing out what to look at when choosing the right husband.
Hadith On Choosing The Right Husband (Arabic)
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
إِذَا خَطَبَ إِلَيْكُمْ مَنْ تَرْضَوْنَ دِينَهُ وَخُلُقَهُ فَزَوِّجُوهُ إِلَّا تَفْعَلُوا تَكُنْ فِتْنَةٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَفَسَادٌ عَرِيضٌ
1084 سنن الترمذي كتاب النكاح باب ما جاء إذا جاءكم من ترضون دينه فزوجوه
1084 المحدث الألباني خلاصة حكم المحدث حسن صحيح في صحيح الترمذي
Hadith On Choosing The Right Husband (Arabic)
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If someone proposes marriage to you whose religion and character satisfy you, then you should accept it. If you do not do so, there will be trials on the earth and the spread of corruption.”
Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1084
The grade of this hadith on choosing the right husband was authenticated by Al-Albani
This hadith on choosing the right husband pointed out two major things which we need to take note of. The first thing is:
- The Deen (Religion): This means that the woman or the guardian needs to be sure that the man is a Muslim and not just a Muslim by name but a practicing Muslim. A man observing his daily Salat, fasting the month of Ramadan, adhering to the principles of Islam, and following the Sunnah of our Prophet (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) based on his capacity.
- His Character: The second thing that we should take note of is the character of this man. If he’s kind, respectful, loyal, and treats his relatives well, friends, and neighbors, and is not stingy. Once we are satisfied with his character after looking at his religion, the best thing is to marry the lady to him.
Concerning choosing the right husband, the statement of our Prophet (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is also in line with what Allah says on it. Allah says in Surah Nur:
And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty, and Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing. (Q 24:32)
Allah encourages us to marry the unmarried ones among our “righteous female slaves to the righteous male slaves”. Allah prioritizes the sanctity of marriage up to the level of telling us to choose the righteous ones for our slaves, not to talk of the noble ones. This means that it is even more obligatory for the noble ones to choose a righteous man when preparing for marriage.
This also goes to the parents out there that, when choosing the right husband for their female ones, they should prioritize these two points, religion and character, above any other things like fame, wealth, power, and ethnicity. There’s nothing bad if they later check for the latter things mentioned ( fame, wealth, power, and ethnicity) after confirming that the man is a practicing Muslim and of noble character.
After looking at these things mentioned in this hadith, it is strongly advisable to perform the Solatul Istikhara to ask for Allah’s guidance in choosing the right husband. You can read the full details on how to perform Solatul Istikhara here.
We ask Allah to guide us to the right path and provide a good husband for our sisters in Islam. We ask Him in His infinite mercy and power to make a better Mulsim, a better husband and wife for our spouses, and make us upright on His Deen. Aameen
