Daily Ayah · Ar-Rum 30:21

That quiet worry when the early excitement in a marriage starts to cool.

This ayah calls a spouse a sign of Allah, and it names two gifts placed between a couple. The first is love, called mawaddah.

The second gift is mercy. It is the tender care that makes a person want to look after the one they live with.

Mufti Shafi offers one reading: love marks the young years, and mercy comes in later years, when passions settle.

Al-Razi explains that attraction can fade, and anger often strikes, but mercy stays, from Allah, and keeps a person caring for their spouse.

Love and mercy are gifts Allah places in marriage. When the spark cools, a couple can seek that mercy again, with patience and kindness.

Amal for today: Do one small act of care today for someone you live with, without being asked.

Sources: Ibn Kathir; Ma'arif al-Quran (Mufti Shafi); al-Munir (Wahba al-Zuhayli); al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb)