Do you see fit to marry off a man who is careful with his prayer but falls short in some of his obligations, hoping that he will improve after marriage, or should we wait for him to be more upright?

The questioner : Do you think, O honorable Shaykh, that we should marry off the young man who is careful with his prayer but falls short in some of his obligations, so that perhaps he will improve after marriage, or should we wait until he is more upright?

The Shaykh : In the authentic hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: Therefore, it is obligatory for the guardian of the woman, when a suitor proposes to her, to investigate his religion and his character. Just as the husband, when he seeks a woman, asks about her religion and her character, so it is obligatory to investigate the suitor's religion and his character, and to be extremely careful in doing so. For in our time, there is much betrayal of trust. How many people have asked about a suitor and been told good things about him, only for it to become clear after the marriage contract that the man had no good in him. Therefore, it is obligatory to verify carefully, and the criterion is the person's current state. As for the future, a person may change for the worse, or for the better, or he may remain steady in his current state. We are not being asked about the future; we are being asked about the present time. A person may be bad in his religion and character, and then Allah may grant him uprightness. So we look at his state when he proposes to this woman. Then, we have no need to wait for his state to improve if he is in a state that is not acceptable in any way, for there are many other men, and someone better than him in religion and character may propose to her. He may improve his state, or this suitor may improve his state in our eyes outwardly until he achieves his desire, and then afterwards he returns to what he was before.
The important thing is that it is obligatory for the guardian of the woman, when a suitor proposes to her, to investigate his religion and his character. If he is acceptable, let him marry her; if he is not acceptable, do not marry her to him. And Allah will send to his ward someone whose religion and character he is pleased with, if Allah knows from the guardian's intention that he only prevented this suitor from marrying her so that someone acceptable in religion and character would propose to her. Then Allah the Exalted will make that easy for him. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you. The listener who sent this question says, O honorable Shaykh.