The Importance of Marriage for Young Adults: A Islamic Perspective

Why Marriage is a Priority for Youth: Insights from Islamic Scholars

The youth need more help getting married than they do getting a degree

Allah ﷻ said:

{وَأَنكِحُوا۟ ٱلۡأَیَـٰمَىٰ مِنكُمۡ وَٱلصَّـٰلِحِینَ مِنۡ عِبَادِكُمۡ وَإِمَاۤئكُمۡۚ إِن یَكُونُوا۟ فُقَرَاۤءَ یُغۡنِهِمُ ٱللهُ مِن فَضۡلِهِۦۗ وَٱللهُ وَ ٰ⁠سِعٌ عَلِیمࣱ}

“Marry off the ˹free˺ singles among you, as well as the righteous of your bondmen and bondwomen. If they are poor, Allah will enrich them out of His bounty. For Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing.” [Sūrah An-Nūr: 32]

Ibn Kathīr raḥimahullāh commented:

هذا أمر بالتزويج، وقد ذهب طائفة من العلماء إلى وجوبه على كل من قدر عليه.

“This is a command to marry off [those in need of marriage], and a group of scholars have said that it is obligatory upon whoever is able to do so.” 

Sheikh ’Uthaymīn raḥimahullāh said:

 حاجة الإنسان إلى الزواج ملحة قد تكون في بعض الأحيان كحاجته إلى الأكل والشرب، ولذلك قال أهل العلم: إنه يجب على من تلزمه نفقة شخص أن يزوجه إن كان ماله يتسع لذلك، فيجب على الأب أن يزوج ابنه إذا احتاج الابن للزواج ولم يكن عنده ما يتزوج به، لكن سمعت أن بعض الآباء الذي نسوا حالهم حال الشباب إذا طلب ابنه منه الزواج قال له: تزوج من عرق جبينك. وهذا غير جائز وحرام عليه إذا كان قادراً على تزويجه، وسوف يخاصمه ابنه يوم القيامة إذا لم يزوجه مع قدرته على تزويجه. 

“A person’s need for marriage is urgent, and sometimes it may be as urgent as his need for food and drink. For this reason the scholars said: It is obligatory upon the one responsible for providing financial assistance to someone to marry them off if they are financially capable. As such, a father must marry off his son if the son needs to marry and does not have anything to marry with. But I heard some fathers who have forgotten about their condition as young men (*), that when their sons ask them to marry him off, they tell them: Get married from the sweat of your forehead (i.e. Work and save up for it yourself). This is not permissible. It is forbidden for him – if he is able to marry him off. His son will witness against him on the Day of Resurrection if he does not marry him off white he is able to marry him.” [His Majmū’ (18/410)] 

Ibn Al-Jawzi raḥimahullāh said: “It is surprising when a father forgets how it was like to be a teenager. He forgets the suffering and danger of falling into sin at such an age. That said, the father should know and be aware of the fact that his son will be subjected to what he previously went through… However, sometimes, in very rare cases, a child may opt for knowledge over marriage and keep teaching himself patience; for instance, Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal raḥimahullāh, did not get married until he was forty.” [Awaking from the Sleep of Heedlessness]