Don’t expect praise for being a man

Men’s marital rights in Islam are very few, but their duties are vast.

Did you think that your role is to call the shots, be honoured and respected at all times, never be argued with, never be nagged, never be challenged, be treated with dignity and live like a king? Then you don’t know what being a man is.

It is almost always a hard, thankless job.

Your wife probably won’t understand or appreciate you, how can she? Sometimes she may not even respect you. Her gratitude will probably be fleeting. You are going to deal with the slings and arrows of life, absorb the blows, take the hits, and get little to no recognition. You will be regularly criticized, berated, mistreated, doubted, ignored, and even resented.

But, one thing you will always be, without exception, continuously, by your wife and family, is relied upon. Depended upon. Needed. Even when they don’t know how much…you know; and that is why, as a man, you don’t wait for thanks, you don’t wait for respect and appreciation; you don’t need praise and a pat on the back.

Your wife and family don’t know what you deal with, how you struggle, all the difficulties you face…they can’t and they shouldn’t. The whole point of your role is to be taken for granted — that means you are doing a good job.