A man constantly thinks about his cousin’s daughter; is this thinking one of the causes of failing to guard one’s private parts?

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. A man constantly thinks about his cousin’s daughter. A man constantly thinks about his cousin’s daughter. The question is: Is this thinking one of the causes of failing to guard one’s private parts?

Answer:
Thinking is something from which one can be saved; mere thinking in the mind is something from which one can be saved. But he must cut off this thinking, cut off this thinking, and leave it, then forget it afterward. He should not indulge in it. And if he is able to marry his cousin’s daughter, he should marry her in accordance with what Allah the Exalted has made lawful, or someone else.