An Islamic based organisation Shufaa Foundation organised a sensitisation conference in Mombasa that brought together Muslim married couples and unmarried youths from 13 counties to deliberate on the importance of marriage.
Married couples were sensitized on how they can remain united to ensure children are raised by both parents.
According to the State of the Judiciary and the Administration of Justice Annual Report (SOJAR), for the Financial Year 2022/23 a total of 11,852 cases were filed in the Kadhis’ Courts that handle Muslim-related issues on personal status, marriage, divorce and inheritance.
Shufaa Foundation Founder Sheikh Omar Buya says unmarried youths have been educated on fundamental marriage issues. The move is aimed at augmenting the works of the Kadhis courts.
“The genesis of marital conflicts in the country stems from the lack of marriage knowledge. They have been given knowledge by experts,” said Sheikh Buya.
Poor communication
On his part, Sheikh Khalifa Secondary School, Principal Sheikh Rishard Rajab cited poor communication, citing failure for the couples to understand each other likes and dislikes as the main causes of divorces.
Married couples were urged to enhance their communications which will assist in managing their differences and compromises to last in marriage.
“Failure in communication is the root of all problems because someone may say it is a lack of compatibility but as Muslims, we are not supposed to date before marriage. We will know each other once we are married, we don’t propagate courtship,” said Sheikh Rajab.
He further advised couples not to shy away from seeking marriage counselling services for fear of stigmatisation. “Solutions will be reached when people dialogue,” stated Sheikh Rajab.
Mobile phones
He added that Mobile phones and addiction to social media platforms have aggravated conflicts in marriages.
“You’ll find in our houses the wife and husband busy on their phones. We are supposed to have agreements once we step into our houses we put aside our phones to improve communication. Our fathers and mothers stayed in marriage for over 40 years because there were no distractions,” explained Sheikh Rajab.
He added that unrealistic demands copied from social media platforms have also led to the deterioration of relationships.
“We need to have self-control, our children need our attention. We need to go back to the drawing board to look for the best way forward despite the challenges that we have,” said Sheikh Rajab.
University of Nairobi Lecturer Dr Hassan Kinyua, noted that modernisation has brought numerous challenges in marriage.
“Most of the divorces in the Kadhis Courts are as a result of mobile phone usage. You’ll find couples having secret lovers. We advise couples to shun posting their attractive photos on social media,” stated Dr Kinyua.
[Muslim women attending the marriage conference in Mombasa organised by Shufaa Foundation. Photo/Ahmed Omar/September, 10, 24].
Sheikh Zubeir Noor noted that in the past arranged marriages were the solution to successful marriages as families had strong connections.
He advised couples to consult the elders when faced with challenges for an amicable solution to be reached.
“Muslims should respect marriage institution and contribute to sensitising others in their areas. Let’s use the available communication channels to revamp our marriages in accordance with the teachings of Islam. We are now more educated than before,” said Sheikh Noor.
