I am a young man in my twenties who worships Allah sincerely and has not done anything that angers Allah (Mighty and Majestic). My heart is at peace with faith, and praise be to Allah, but I am constantly troubled by
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The questioner : I am a young man in my twenties who worships Allah sincerely and has not done anything that angers Allah (Mighty and Majestic). My heart is at peace with faith, and praise be to Allah. I am constantly troubled by the idea of not getting married; that is, I do not want to marry for fear that the world and its fleeting pleasures will distract me from the remembrance of Allah and His worship, the righteous worship. Is there any blame on me if I spend my life without marrying? What is the view of the Shari'ah in your opinion, Shaykh Muhammad, regarding this?
The Shaykh : First, we say that if a person speaks about himself regarding the worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that he performs, and if it is for a correct purpose, such as intending to speak about the blessing of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) upon him, or intending for people to follow his example, then there is no blame in it. However, if his speaking about himself regarding the worship of Allah that he performs is intended to purify himself and display his worship to people, then he is not on the right path. This is because Allah the Exalted says:[An-Najm 53:32] And what I hope is that this questioner spoke about himself regarding the worship of Allah that he performs by way of informing and speaking about the blessing of Allah, not for showing off to people or with the intention of their praise.
And his question about leaving marriage out of fear of being tempted by the world, the answer to it is that we say: marriage is among the worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it and said:Mishkat al-Masabih 3080 It is at least a recommended practice, and it may be obligatory. It becomes obligatory if a person intends by leaving it to devote himself to asceticism and cut himself off [from worldly life]. Therefore, when a group of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gathered and asked about his private worship, as if they were criticizing it, and they said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has been forgiven by Allah for his sins, both past and future, and they hoped to perform worship that is more severe than his, so one of them said: I will fast and not break my fast, and the second said: I will stand in prayer and not sleep, and the third said: I will not marry women. This reached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said, may the prayers and peace be upon him: .
It is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he forbade asceticism, which is cutting oneself off from marriage. So I advise this questioner, if he has the ability and means, to marry. And I give him good news that marriage is among the worship of Allah, to the extent that the scholars have explicitly stated that marriage with desire is better than voluntary acts of worship. Based on this, I urge him to marry so that he may protect his private parts and his wife's private parts. And perhaps Allah will make a righteous child between them, by whom Allah will benefit the people and by whom he will benefit his parents.
The Shaykh : First, we say that if a person speaks about himself regarding the worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that he performs, and if it is for a correct purpose, such as intending to speak about the blessing of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) upon him, or intending for people to follow his example, then there is no blame in it. However, if his speaking about himself regarding the worship of Allah that he performs is intended to purify himself and display his worship to people, then he is not on the right path. This is because Allah the Exalted says:
So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him.
فلا تزكوا أنفسكم هو أعلم بمن اتقىAnd his question about leaving marriage out of fear of being tempted by the world, the answer to it is that we say: marriage is among the worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it and said:
Young man, those of you who can support a wife should marry, for it keeps you from looking at strange women and preserves you from immorality
يا معشر الشباب من استطاع منكم الباءة فليتزوج فإنه أغض للبصر وأحصن للفرجAs for me, I fast and I break my fast, I stand in prayer and I sleep, and I marry women. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not one of me
أما أنا فأصوم وأفطر وأقوم وأنام وأتزوج النساء ، فمن رغب عن سنتي فليس منيIt is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he forbade asceticism, which is cutting oneself off from marriage. So I advise this questioner, if he has the ability and means, to marry. And I give him good news that marriage is among the worship of Allah, to the extent that the scholars have explicitly stated that marriage with desire is better than voluntary acts of worship. Based on this, I urge him to marry so that he may protect his private parts and his wife's private parts. And perhaps Allah will make a righteous child between them, by whom Allah will benefit the people and by whom he will benefit his parents.