To the young man who desires marriage: choose your wife carefully, for she will be responsible for ninety percent of your happiness or misery. The Prophet (peace be upon him) clarified this in the clearest and most concise manner, saying: "The world is a commodity, and the best of its commodities is a righteous wife." Note the precision of the description: "the best of its commodities is a righteous wife." He did not say "the beautiful woman," as beauty alone is not a sufficient criterion for choosing a wife.

One social affairs consultant says: "A woman who is merely beautiful is like a beautiful clock that does not work. The fundamental and primary criterion is righteousness, with all other criteria subordinate to it. Because a righteous wife will help her husband obey God, raise his children in goodness and virtue, and protect him in her own person and his property." I mentioned this as an important note for those about to marry, because most young suitors have no role except the Islamic (sharia) glance, and the selection of the fiancée is done solely by their mothers and sisters. Their primary criterion—usually—is beauty, and beauty alone. Their concern is how the bride will appear in the eyes of the women present on the wedding night. After marriage, facts emerge, matters become clear, and the husband realizes that he neglected and failed in the foundation. Have you ever seen a building that can be sound without a foundation?