Laiyla and Lotfi have been married for 9 months. As the couple married young, Laiyla is still finishing her undergraduate degree. One evening, Laiyla has to go to her university campus for an important group meeting for one of her course projects. Laiyla takes the metro to campus and attends the meeting with the rest of her group at the university library.
The meeting runs a little late and Laiyla finds that it is almost 10:45pm by the time they are done the meeting. She calls Lotfi on his cell phone to find that he is still at his office, working late. Lotfi tells her to wait for him in the library and that he will come pick her up once he is finished sending an important email to a client. Laiyla replies that if she heads out now and takes the metro home it will only take her 20 minutes and she will be home before he’s even finished the email.
She explains to him that they’ve both had a long day and that it would be easier for both of them if she just took the metro home instead of having to wait for him and have him make the trip all the way down to her campus from his office and then go back home. But Lotfi insists that it’s not safe for her to take the metro at this hour alone and asks her to please just wait for him to come pick her up. “I know you’re tired dear, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Maybe you could read a book until I come.”
Laiyla agrees to wait for him and decides to check her email in the library until he comes.
Why this use of Qawamah is appropriate
- Lotfi’s request that Laiyla not take public transportation at 11pm is reasonable because many big cities’ public transportation and metro systems aren’t very safe at that hour, and Lotfi is in charge of protecting Laiyla’s safety.
- Even though what Lofti did required sacrifice from him and extra time and effort, he did the right thing because it is part of his duty as a husband to look out for the well-being of his wife and be concerned about her security
- Lotfi offers Laiyla an alternative solution to her idea which is that he will come and pick her up, which will only mean that she will have to wait on campus for a little while longer.