I’m Anisa Iftikhar from Gujranwala, Pakistan, and I joined Clarkson University as a graduate student in the fall of 2021 in the Biology department. After coming to the USA, I met a boy named Irfan Yaqoob. He is also a graduate student in the Computer Science department. He belongs to Okara, Pakistan. We both landed in the USA in the fall of 2021. The most interesting thing is that we met here in Clarkson and we didn’t know each other from Pakistan. So I think Clarkson is lucky for us. By the Grace of Allah Almighty, I have got a very handsome and caring life partner.
Marriage is an important part of life for everyone and it brings joy and happiness in your life. Marriage is one of the most beautiful experiences of human life. In marriage, spouses protect, as well as beautify one another. As Muslims, we believe that if we are destined to get married, we will meet the person when the time is right, Insya’Allah. Allah s.w.t. creates us in pairs and grants us love in our hearts to love another human being. 

The Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said: 

 “There is nothing like marriage, for the two who love one another.” 

(Sunan Ibn Majah)

However, it does not mean that someone lacks iman just because he or she is not married. There were some notable companions, scholars and figures in our classical Islamic tradition who did not get married. Maryam a.s, one of the best women in paradise, was not married. Rasulullah s.a.w. encouraged his followers to get married if we have the means to do so. It is part of his beautiful Sunnah to not just congratulate the newlywed but to also pray for them to receive blessings from Allah s.w.t. 

May Allah s.w.t. bless and protect the marriage institution that serves to strengthen the moral values that sustain relationships within our community.