Then, when the unfortunate advances in years, her husband’s love for her will  persist. For his wife is not merely a temporary helper and companion in this worldly life,  but an eternal, lovable companion in everlasting life, so the older they grow their love for  each other should also grow, and their compassion and respect. Under the guise of culture and civilization, family life is now is a temporary animal relationship  followed  by  eternal  separation,  and  is  being  destroyed  at  its  ver y foundations.

In another place in the Risale-i Nur it says: “Happy the man who in order not to lose his  companion of eternity, copies his righteous wife and so becomes righteous himself. And  happy the woman who, seeing her husband  to be pious, adheres to religion herself so as not to lose her everlasting friend and companion. Unhappy the man who follows his wife in sin, does not try to make her give it up, but joins her. And  unhappy the  woman  who,  seeing  her  husband’s  sinfulness,  follows  him  in another way. And alas for the wife and husband who assist one another in throwing each other into the Fire. That is, who encourage one another to embrace the evils of civilization.”

These lines have the following meaning: at this time, Islamic conduct within the bounds  of  the  Shari‘a  is  the  only  means  of  developing  family  life  and  finding happiness in this world and the hereafter, and causing the elevated qualities of women to unfold. Now, the most important matter in family life is this, that if the woman sees bad conduct and disloyalty in her husband and to spite him, stints in her loyalt y and faithfulness to  him, which is her duty as  far as the family is concerned, then the factory of that family life will be thrown into confusion, exactly like discipline in the army being spoilt. The woman should try to reform her husband’s faults as far as she can in order to save her companion of eternity. It is harmful in every respect if she starts to show herself to others by unveiling herself and tries to make herself attractive to others. For a woman who gives up complete loyalty pays the penalty in this world too. Because it is her nature to be fearful and upset at the looks of those canonically strangers to her, and to avoid them. She is discomforted at the looks of eighteen out of twenty strangers. As for men, they are discomforted and upset at the looks of only one out of a hundred women who are canonically strangers to them. The woman suffers torment in that respect,  and  so too may be accused of disloyalty, and due to her weakness, will be unable to defend her rights.

In  Short:  Just as  in  respect  of compassion women  do  not  resemble men  in heroism and sincerity, and men cannot compare with them in that regard; so too innocent women can in no way compare with men in vice. For this reason by their natures and weakness, they are truly frightened of strangers and feel themselves compelled to conceal themselves beneath their abundant outer garments.