A person fond of western values once said that when fresh milk is available daily from the market, why bother to tie a cow in the house and clean its dung. What this eloquent parable meant was that it is better than the custom of bringing a woman into the house in marriage that a man fulfills his need by free sex and does not involve in the responsibilities that spoil the fun of youth.
This is the attraction found in adultery, on the basis of which the Holy Quran has declared it not only a major sin but also a legal crime. The fact is that Allah Almighty has made the sexual passion so attractive to humans that they can willingly take on the most difficult responsibilities of life.
When a man and a woman enter into a marriage relationship, they are actually deciding that they will bear the responsibilities of not only each other but also the relationships that arise from it. To take up these responsibilities and that too properly, is not easy. Money is spent on it. One has to sacrifice his peace and comfort. Unpleasant situations and things are to be endured and it requires patience and self-sacrifice.
It is only after these sacrifices that a generation comes into existence which sees the parents as a holy form and learns the lesson of patience and tolerance from their sacrifices. It learns the lessons of good manners and good behavior. It feels the feelings of love and compassion in the heart.
Nikah (Marriage) is not the name of bringing a cow into the house, it is the process of turning a house into a training ground for superior human beings. This is a fact that the hedonists cannot understand.