5 Practical Steps to Resolve Marriage Conflicts and Keep the Knot Strong!

I have been happily married for one and a half year to a man who is truly my soul mate! In our daily lives, I make it a point to try to stay on guard against Satan by consciously noticing how he tries to creep into our lives. Alhamdu lillah, hubby and I have never had a major argument with each other but I’ve noticed Satan trying to blow petty things out of proportion and sour our relationship.

Consider the following:

Me: I want an ice-cream.

Hubby: No, it’s getting late, Bela. Let’s go home.

Me: No, I want an ice-cream, now.

Hubby: We have to get up early, right? Let’s go home now. We’ll come tomorrow insha Allah.

Me: You always seem to have an excuse whenever I ask for ice-cream. How much time does it take to buy one scoop ?

Hubby: Ok, fine. You never listen to me. Let’s go.

Me (pouting): No, I don’t want ice-cream now anyway. Have it your way. Let’s go home.

Petty, right? Yet, I can see Satan creeping in. Making his way. Burning our bridges. Building walls between us. But Alhmdu lillah, we usually bring them down before he builds them up. La hawla wa la quwaata illa billah.

Next time, when you are fighting with your spouse, take a deep breath, pause and see if you can hear the insinuating whispers of Satan. When his involvement becomes clear, make sure you win, he loses. By ‘he’, I mean Satan, not hubby, mind you. The fight is actually between you and Satan, not between you and your spouse!

Husband-wife relationship is one of the most valued relationships in our religion; so strong yet so fragile. Sometimes, it can be like being on an emotional roller-coaster. A small comment or action from one spouse is enough to tick off the other. Minor arguments can be destructive to both partners (their children and all around them), let alone major fights which are total devastation.

I explained in my previous article that through our thoughts and emotions, we emit powerful signals which can damage our physical and emotional health. So, after a fight or argument with your spouse, how would you describe your state of mind? Dangerously negative, right? These negative thoughts and emotions emit such powerful signals that they can leave highly injurious effect on anybody in range. Your baby catches cold the next day. Hubby goes to work with the argument still fresh in his mind and the negative energies radiating from his body, nothing works for him and the whole day is ruined. And back home you get headache. You didn’t bang your head against the wall, did you? Nope? Then it is exactly your negative energies that are playing the trick. How much does it take to settle the argument before leaving the place and save yourself and others the trouble ? Kill your ego and make peace.

Dig down deep and try to re-call: What were you thinking the last time before you fell ill? Negative thinking is a killer. It significantly raises the blood pressure, weakens the immune system and results in stress and fatigue. Research tells us that 90% of the deadly diseases are caused by taking “stress”. Couples who fight often (and consequently live in a field of negative energy) are more likely to suffer from high cholesterol, skin wrinkles (ladies alert!) and increased appetite. On the other hand, deeply passionate marriages reduce stress, create more happiness and decrease the chances of catching deadly disease. Therefore, it would be better if (at least some of the time) we mind our own business and stop spying on each other. The more you let go, the sooner will things fall into place. Good marriage is an excellent healer. Turn yours into a good one.

Often the habits of our spouse that frustrates us the most are the salient feature of our characteristics too. We tend to ignore our short comings while blow other’s out of proportion. The result is that you end up popping painkillers with your head buried inside your pillow while the rest of the family members maintain a sacred silence because they don’t want to disturb you while you suffer a headache.

Husband-wife relationship is the cornerstone of the Muslim family and society. It is on the top of Satan’s hit list. The Quran speaks about Haroot and Maroot who used to teach Satanic skills to the Israelites of Babylon. They taught them a special kind of magic- the magic that creates separation between husband and wife.

The Hadith is also very explicit about this issue: