Quote from: seattletruth on May 20, 2010, 04:28:03 PM
My opinion is that physical relationships are not a good idea before marriage, however you should be in love with your fiance mentally.
It's not a good idea to marry someone you don't love, as you might not be happy down the road.
An imam told my fiance that there is no such thing as (mental) love before marriage, that it's forbidden. He also said you shouldn't listen to your heart, and you should marry whoever has the most money.
His views are not sanctioned in Islam, in my opinion.. They are sanctioned by his culture's twisted traditions.
I still believe that physical relationships are definitely allowed before marriage. However, you should be very careful how physical the relationship gets. That is true with anything. You have to keep in mind what you believe the limits are and what is right and what is going too far for anything.
Concerning imams, I would never go to an imam for advice. Seek God for advice. There is definitely such a thing as mental love. I love my fiancee' and I would marry her even if I could never touch her and no matter how much money or possesions she has. Before you marry someone, you HAVE to know that that individual is someone you love and who you will stay committed to and who you can connect and share with. What that imam said makes no sense, but that's not surprising.