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Facing the stigma while looking for a spouse - assalamu alaikum

Assalamu alaikum. I wanted to share something personal and get it off my chest. A bit of background: about two years ago I had an arranged nikkah. At first she seemed pleasant to talk to, but our conversations before the nikkah were limited - I assumed she was busy or family boundaries kept things formal. After the nikkah, though, she seemed depressed and distant, like she didn’t want to be married to me. She rejected even small signs of affection in private, pushing away when I tried to hug or hold her hand. Her mother knew and encouraged her to try to bond more, and I always asked gently for more effort. She kept saying she didn’t choose me. I reached a point where I couldn’t continue a marriage that felt empty, so I divorced after two months. We barely spent time together and never shared a bedroom; it felt more like we were colleagues than spouses. I don’t feel like I ever had a real marriage or a sincere attempt from her to build one together. I don’t have a problem with marrying a previously divorced woman, but now I’m facing stigma while trying to remarry. At my age many women are still unmarried, so having a larger pool to find someone compatible makes sense. There are only a few divorced people in the search pool, and forcing a marriage just because we’re both divorced, without real compatibility, seems unwise. I’m not against marrying another divorced person, but it’s not true that divorced people automatically suit each other or that it’s any easier. I just want a fair chance to find someone compatible, not to be limited by assumptions about my past. JazakAllahu khairan for reading.

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