Assembly of
Gambia Muslim Youth (AGAMY) on 16 November 2013 held a daylong marriage seminar
for couples and singles at the Gambia Supreme Islamic Council headquarters in
Kanifing on the theme: “Choosing the right spouse”.
The seminar touched on such issues as choosing the right spouse, duties of the wife to her husband, happy home, happy family, polygamy, and divorce.
Oustass Chebu Cham, speaking on choosing the right spouse, said Islam came to teach mankind how to live a better life both on earth and the hereafter, adding that Islam covers everything.
He advised Muslims to follow the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when choosing a wife or husband to be able to have fruitful marriages that can last forever.
Oustass Cham also called on Muslims to know what marriage is about before getting into it, saying if you do not know about marriage and get into it, it is likely not going to last forever.
Oustass Cham also highlighted on the importance and various benefits of marriage as well as having children.
He called on Muslims to choose their wives or husbands for the sake of Allah, adding that parents should choose God-fearing spouse for their children.
Aja Maimuna Savage, speaking on the duties of the wife to her husband, said wives should be resting PORT (Patient, Obedient, Respectful and Truthful) to their husbands.
She says if a wife follows the wishes (accepted by Islam) of her husband, when she dies all doors of ‘Janna’ will be opened to her to enter.
She calls on wives to cook the choice of food of their husbands, and to also give them to eat the time they feel like eating.
Aja Savage, who is also an adviser to AGAMY, further called on wives to respect their husbands as they are like their parents in their matrimonial homes, adding that love and mercy should also be between the two.
Aja Savage also calls on wives to be patient, obedient, respectful, and be truthful to their husbands.
Wives should be able to dress well to impress their husbands to avoid their husbands being attracted or impressed by someone outside of the house, she advises, adding that women should practice covering their bodies when they are outside of their marriage houses. “It is only their husbands they should impress,” she added.
She calls on women to desist from the 50-50 idea in their marriage houses demanding that their husbands should clean the house, cook and do some other house chores.
She calls on AGAMY to continue the services they are rendering to Allah, the nation and humanity at large, while also highlighting the importance of seeking knowledge from birth to death.
She also calls on AGAMY for the need to have an institute where they would teach women on their duties to their husbands before getting married.
Imam Abdoulie Fatty, speaking on happy home and happy family, called on Muslims to prepare themselves in worshiping Allah, as well as praying and fasting.
“If you fail in choosing your right spouse you are likely not to have a happy family or home, he says, adding that a good wife is the one who can protect you and your wealth, someone you can look at and be happy; someone God-fearing, of shame and respect.
All women are beautiful, he notes, but the most important beauty is the one on the heart. He also called on women to love their husbands to maintain a happy family and home.
Qadi Omar Secka, speaking on divorce, said Islam has given both the husband and the wife the power to end their marriage if they have reached a stage they feel they can never continue.
“A husband can divorce his wife while a wife can seek divorce from his husband,” he notes, saying that seeking a divorce should be based on genuine reasons.
He also outlined the type of accepted and unaccepted divorces, words of divorcing a wife, and steps to take before divorcing a wife.
Dr Bilal Phillips spoke on polygamy, while Aunty Amie Ndure, Head of Women Wing of AGAMY, gave the opening remarks of the seminar.
Meanwhile, AGAMY is an action network of young Muslims, with a firm mandate to change and reform their communities by setting up Islamic structures and institutions to serve the community and give the youth alternatives to drugs and crimes.
Amongst the aim of the organisation is “to drive toward building an Islamic oriented society that will unite Muslim youths to promote and propagate Islam as taught by the prophet of Islam (peace be upon him)”.
It also seeks to encourage youths to participate in national development through the mobilization of their financial and human resources.
The group also aim to discourage societal vices like tribalism, regionalism etc among youths and to encourage solidarity and mutual cooperation among Muslim youths in the Gambia and between them and members of Muslim organizations with similar objectives in and outside the Gambia.
