One afternoon in Tasikmalaya Regency, a child\u2019s crying shattered the\nsilence of a modest home. The five-year-old repeatedly called for his\nfather and mother, who were in different rooms. The father sat brooding\non the terrace, staring at the yard as rain began to fall. Inside, the\nmother shut herself in the bedroom, holding back tears. There was no\nsound of an argument, no shouting or cursing. There was only a silence\nthat slowly eroded the warmth of a family.<\/p>\n
Let us call them A and N. Five years earlier, they had entered into\nthe sacred bond of marriage full of hope. They began their life from\nmodest means, strengthening each other through every circumstance, until\nAllah SWT blessed them with a child who completed their happiness. Days\nwere passed with gratitude. Although life was not abundant in wealth,\nthey felt content because they always faced every problem together.<\/p>\n
However, circumstances changed when the company where A worked\ncarried out staff reductions. A was among those who had to accept the\nbitter reality of losing his job. From that moment, the family\u2019s\neconomic condition began to falter. Numerous job applications were sent,\nmany company doors were visited, but none brought the hoped-for news.\nDays passed without certainty, while household needs continued.<\/p>\n
Electricity bills began to pile up. Savings that had been kept were\nslowly depleted to meet daily needs. The child\u2019s school fees still had\nto be paid, kitchen necessities could not be postponed, and various\nother requirements kept coming. Seeing this condition, N took the\ninitiative to sell snacks from home so the wheels of family life could\nkeep turning. She never intended to replace her husband\u2019s role as\nbreadwinner. She only wanted to help ease the family\u2019s burden amid a\ndifficult situation.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, that good intention slowly turned into a source of\nmisunderstanding. The busyness of managing the house, caring for the\nchild, and trading left N exhausted, both physically and emotionally. In\nher heart, a feeling began to grow that the entire family burden was now\non her shoulders. She hoped her husband would be more open about what he\nwas facing and involve her more in finding a way out. But that hope was\nnever properly conveyed.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, A was harbouring a wound no one knew about. Losing\nhis job made him feel he had failed in his duty as head of the family.\nEvery time he saw his wife having to work harder, guilt squeezed his\nheart tighter. Yet, instead of expressing those feelings, he chose\nsilence. For him, admitting his anxiety would only add to his wife\u2019s\nburden. He thought that keeping everything inside was a form of\nresponsibility as a man.<\/p>\n
From that point, communication between them slowly faded.\nConversations that were once filled with jokes and stories after Maghrib\nprayers turned into short, perfunctory answers. They still lived in the\nsame house, ate at the same table, even slept in the same room, but\ntheir hearts felt increasingly distant. Each was busy harbouring hurt\nwithout ever truly knowing what the other was feeling. Silence became\nthe new language in their household.<\/p>\n
The situation grew more complicated when extended family from both\nsides began to offer their judgements. Some blamed A for being unable to\nearn a living. Others judged N for demanding too much of her husband.\nVarious comments initially intended as advice only worsened the\nsituation. Instead of mediating, unwise interference allowed prejudice\nto grow and communication between the two to become even more closed\noff.<\/p>\n
The peak occurred when a simple issue regarding the child\u2019s school\nfees escalated into a prolonged argument. Emotions that had been\nsuppressed finally exploded. Hurtful words were hurled uncontrollably.\nIn a fit of rage, A nearly pronounced a divorce upon his wife. Something\nthat should have been a last resort was almost uttered due to a\nmomentary loss of control.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, a respected religious figure in the family immediately\ninvited A and N to sit together for deliberation. In a calmer\natmosphere, both began to dare to express the feelings they had been\nholding inside. A finally recounted the shame, fear, and disappointment\nhe had been hiding. Meanwhile, N revealed that what she needed was not a\nhusband who always had answers to every problem, but a husband willing\nto share the burden and open space for dialogue.<\/p>\n
At that moment, they realised that the issue that nearly destroyed\ntheir marriage was not solely economic hardship. Economic difficulty was\nmerely a recurring test in life. What made the situation heavier was the\nbroken communication, the growing prejudice, and the egos both had\nmaintained. They were too busy waiting to be understood, but forgot to\ntry to understand their respective partners.<\/p>\n
The story of A and N is not an isolated incident. Amid increasingly\ncomplex lives, many households experience similar problems. Many couples\ndo not actually lack love, but lose the space to listen to each other.\nBusyness, economic pressures, work demands, and even pride often cause\nhusbands and wives to choose to bury their feelings rather than express\nthem in a good way. In fact, many marriages collapse not because of\nmajor problems, but because of small issues that are allowed to\naccumulate without communication.<\/p>\n
When Silence Becomes the Beginning of a Rift<\/p>\n
Islam views marriage as a mitsaqan ghalizha, a firm covenant between\nhusband and wife before Allah.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-house-that-nearly-collapsed-because-of-silence-1784548395", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }