Ethical Dilemma between Ignoring Wife's Infidelity and the Duty of Children's Ethical Training

Family is the most important social unit in which children's moral education is guaranteed and their moral virtues are developed. In both Quranic verses and Ahlol Bayt's narrations a chain of influential teachings regarding training children have been mentioned to the extent that we can claim Islam regards the wife's skill in training children as one of the criteria in choosing the proper partner. On the other hand, a wide range of ethical rules in Islam are aimed to govern the relationship between spouses. Based on one of these rules spouses are encouraged to ignore their partner's infidelity. Considering the effects of infidelity on spouse's relationship on one hand and its negative influences on children's training on the other hand may confront the husband as a moral agent with an ethical dilemma (in which one has to perform an act due to its positive consequences and to avoid it at the same time for its negative outcomes). He has to ignore his wife's infidelity as a moral principle recommended by Islam and at the same time his moral duty of training his children requires him not to ignore such divergence and take an action. This essay seeks to investigate the dilemma in different situations (15 situations at least) and then suggests the best solution for the dilemma.