Marriage: A life partner not a bank account!
The advice that Muslim women should pray and wait for a good husband who will provide for them is false and misleading. While it is normal to dream of having a family and a supportive marriage, nothing (certainly not Islam) should stop a woman from becoming educated, discovering her professional talents, and working in a field that fulfills her. Islam does not envision marriage and childrearing as the only goal of a woman’s life, it is, rather, one aspect of a fulfilled life. Marriage is not and should not be viewed as opening a new bank account! Rather, men and women are equal partners in this sacred institution. Economic independence is a shortcut to dignity and marital happiness, which can be more easily obtained in marriage when based on equality and mutual respect, not on economic dependence. A woman who can’t be economically independent can’t say no to domestic violence, abuse, unfair polygamy or even cheating. A woman who does not have economic independence can’t protect herself and her children or get out of any toxic relationship. A woman who does not have economic independence can’t teach her kids what she does not know. A woman who does not have economic independence could have million reasons to leave her marriage but would still be forced to stay! A woman who does not have economic independence could not say no even when she should. The Qur’an to the contrary asserts not financial dependence but love and mercy as the two pillars of marriage. Only love and mercy is what should keep wives and husbands together, not economic necessity!
وَمِنْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦٓ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًۭا لِّتَسْكُنُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةًۭ وَرَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰاتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
(Another of His signs is that He created spouses from among yourselves for you to live with in tranquility: He ordained love and mercy between you. There truly are signs in this for those who reflect.)
(Q. 30:21)
For more see
https://www.amazon.com/Decoding-Egalitarianism-Quran-Retrieving-Lexington/dp/1793609896
