Huzoore Anwer (may Allah be his Helper) explained one of the reasons for marital discord to be intolerance and in this regard he addressed members of the Jama’at and said:
“These days cases relating to conflicts between husband and wife come before me here [Germany] and everywhere else in the world with blame lying with both men and women. Neither men have the tolerance any more that a believer should have nor women exercise tolerance. As I have drawn attention to this many times before that although mostly men are at fault there are also instances in which the blame lies entirely with the woman or girl. Both sides are at fault which creates acrimony and homes are broken. If both sides control their emotions and have righteousness in their hearts these problems would never arise. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) advised such people that if they both see each other’s flaws there would also be many things they like in each other. It cannot be that they both are full of flaws. If you keep such positive attitude and adopt a sense of sacrifice, mutual love and affection will grow. Wives of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) gave testimonies that there could be none other like him as regards to courtesy and kindness to wives. Thus when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) advised something, it was not with mere words, he also proved it with his blessed model.”
(Friday sermon delivered on 22 August 2008 at Mannheim, Germany. Published in Al Fazl International 12 September 2008)
On 31 October 2009 Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (may Allah be his Helper) announced two nikahs at Masjid Fazl, London. After reciting the official nikah sermon, Huzoore Anwer said:
“Nikah is a bond in which Allah the Exalted is deemed Witness between a man and a woman and a promise is made that we will always try to honour this relationship while abiding by righteousness. However, unfortunately perhaps due to Western influence or the current education system, these days relationships begin to fracture too soon due to a lack of tolerance. However, Allah the Exalted states and commands us to abide by righteousness in the verses of the Holy Qur’an which make up the nikah sermon. Indeed the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) would have chosen these verses for the nikah sermon through Divine indication. This is something both sides of families and the man and the woman should always keep in view and should be mindful that this relationship is a very important and sacred bond. As I have said many times before, both sides of the families should avoid starting fights, creating bitterness and breaking up over minor matters.”
(Published in the weekly Al Fazl International, 1 June 2012)