By Muhammad Al Shareef
1. Dress up for your wife, look clean and smell good. When was the last time us men went shopping for designer pajamas? Just like the husband wants his wife to look nice for him, she also wants him to dress up for her. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam started with Miswak when coming home and loved the sweetest smells.
2. Use the cutest names for your wife. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam had nicknames for his wives, ones that they loved.
3. Don't treat her like a fly. We never think about a fly until it 'bugs' us. Similarly, a wife will do well all day, drawing no attention from the husband, until she does something to 'bug' him. Recognize the good she does and focus on that.
4. If you see wrong from your wife, try being silent! This is one of the ways the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam used when he saw something inappropriate from his wives.
5. Smile at your wife whenever you see her and embrace her often. Smiling is Sadaqah and your wife is a part of the Muslim Ummah. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam would kiss his wife before leaving for Salah, even if he was fasting.
6. Thank her for all she does. Take supper: She makes the food, cleans the home, and a dozen other tasks. And sometimes the only acknowledgement she gets is that there needs to be more salt. Whoever thanks people has thanked Allah.
7. Ask her to write the last 10 things you did for her that made her happy. Then go and do them again. It may be hard to recognize what gives your wife pleasure. You don't have to play a guessing game, ask her.
8. Don't belittle her desires. Comfort her. When Safiyyah radhiallahu anha, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam’s wife, was crying because, as she said, he put her on a slow camel, he wiped her tears, comforted her, and brought her another.
9. Be humorous and play games with your wife. Look at how the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam would race his wife in the desert.
