A woman becomes dear to her husband, and love for her grows in his heart, by her honoring him, her obedience to him in his affairs when he is alone or together with her, by her guarding his well-being and avoiding harm to him, by raising his children, by concealing herself in his house, by minimizing how much she comes out of seclusion, and by her being virtuous with him, keeping secrets, bearing matters, and by observing his meal times, carrying out what she knows he likes solicitously and cheerfully, by not becoming fond of anything difficult, not making persistent demands, by covering herself when she sleeps, and by keeping her husband’s secrets when he is absent or present.
The author says: It is a man’s obligation to observe the rights of privately kept women, that he attend to them with mercy, kindness, and complacency. Whoever desires to be compassionate towards his wife and show mercy to her, let him be mindful of ten things regarding her circumstances, that he may act rightly towards her regarding them. The first of these is that a woman can not divorce a man without permission, while a man is able to do this whenever he wishes; a woman may not take anything without his permission, while a man is able to do this; a woman, as long as she is on his rope, may not take a husband other than him, while a man is able to marry in addition to her; a woman is not permitted to leave the house without a man’s permission, while a man is permitted to do this; a woman may not express condolences, while a man may do this; a woman must fear a man, while a man does not fear a woman; a woman must be content with his cheerful look towards her or a tender word, while a man is not pleased by any of her dispositions; a woman must separate from her mother and father and all of her close relatives; a woman must serve a man at all times, while a man does not always serve her; a woman must do away with herself if a man is ill, while a man does not distress even if she dies. In light of these points which we have mentioned, intelligent men must be merciful towards women and not treat them unjustly or oppress them; for women are prisoners of men, and men are obliged to be complacent towards women due to the deficiency of their intelligence. And due to the deficiency in their intelligence, it is not permissible for any man to order his affairs based on the opinions of women, nor give attention to what they say.