DETROIT—“Marriage is half your faith” is one of the Hadith’s (sayings) of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). During a workshop at this year’s Saviours’ Day convention titled, “The Journey of Marriage,” married couples and unmarried individuals came to get guidance and advice.
The husband-and-wife team of Student Minister Amin Muhammad and Student National Auditing Coordinator Sister A’ishah Muhammad have been married 26 years and served as panelists for the workshop. Brother Steven Muhammad and his wife of 22 years, Sister Aliyah, also served as panelists.
The couples took participants on a journey of real-life situations of trials, struggles and blended family dynamics. Brother Steven began the discussion about his personal experience. He and Sister Aliyah first met at Saviours’ Day in 2002. “She came from a solid foundation with a two-parent home who are believers and (were) helpers to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan in the early days of 1979.
She has the spirit of Islam in her DNA. We did it the right way when we decided to court. It was lawful, disciplined and watchful,” Bro. Steven said.
›Brother Steven encouraged the men and women to choose wisely and find someone from their classes of the F.O.I. and M.G.T. (the men and women of the Nation of Islam). These are separate classes in the Nation of Islam that teach men and women how to be respectful, decent, righteous and civilized productive members in society.
He also said to enter marriage with optimism and enthusiasm knowing there will be trials and trouble but to keep a positive attitude knowing that Allah (God) is in control and won’t fail you. “You must have faith from the very beginning.” he said “Our duty is to one another.
Let your own self-accusing spirit take its course. Don’t always be the one pointing out each other’s mistakes and complaining. Let them work out their own issues because all that does is destroy the relationship when you are constantly being corrected.”
Sister A’ishah Muhammad said that the journey of marriage is to be upfront and honest with each other. She asked the audience, “how do you treat each other? Now, look at your partner and ask what do you expect of me and what can I do differently to make things better?” There was laughter and joy in the atmosphere as couples deliberately dialogued with each other.
Student Minister Amin talked about his struggles when he first met his wife and didn’t think he was worthy of having her. He talked about being rejected so many times that his self-esteem was affected. He used his experience as a foundation to encourage the audience to look at themselves differently and know how special they are.
“Do you know Allah loves you?” he asked the audience. “Yes, He does and here’s how you know. He gave you your life, He chose you and He allowed you to believe. Do you know how profound that is, Allah chose you?”
Questions were asked about how to handle blended family situations and other topics. There was also a list of topics presented which allowed for couples to honestly assess their relationship in various areas such as: communication, attentiveness, household responsibilities and physical appearance.
Brother Evan Essissma from Houston, Texas, was happy he and his wife attended the marriage workshop. “We really enjoyed this workshop and we are going to make some changes in our household,” he said.
