What does having a pet cat named Mr. Tibbles have to do with marriage in Islam? Well, the short answer is nothing. Whether one has a pet cat or not should not hinder one from the divine prospect of marriage. Similarly, there are many things which Muslims take into account before deciding to marry or when selecting a spouse - the person’s skin colour, how wealthy they are, whether or not they are Sayyid… but are such things what Islam tells us to consider before marrying?

A quick disclaimer; the purpose of this episode is not to say that men should not work hard and strive to earn a halal living while saying, “I’m pious, so let me marry!”. No. It is the duty of Muslim men everywhere to work. Similarly, it is an important duty for us to study and educate ourselves.

The underlying message in this BISKIT is that FAITH ought to be given priority over all other things before we marry. Neither wealth, nor education, nor beauty, nor lineage, nor nationality are even remotely as important as faith. As Muslims we must remember that in front of faith, all the other things are as irrelevant as a pet cat named Mr. Tibbles!