The representation of women in the Arabic proverbs of the Gulf centers on marriage. This is understandable since marriage is the central event in the life of Muslim women and it is the natural course of behavior for a Muslim to establish a conjugal family. As it has been expressed by a ḥadīth transmitted by ʿĀʾisha: “There is nothing better for a woman than a husband or the grave” (Ibn al-Jawzī 1994, 96).

Marriage is described from a number of angles and the picture drawn conforms to the regulations of Islam and the preva…