Marriage is Half of the Deen – what does it mean? By Shaykh Saleh as Saleh

Marriage is Half of the Deen – what does it mean? By Shaykh Saleh as Saleh

Why marriage is considered completing half of the Deen?

 First of all, let’s examine the saying of Allah, in Surah Al-Baqarah: 187 [2:187] “It is made lawful for you to have sexual relations with your wives on the night of As-Saum (the fasts). They are Libâs [i.e. body-cover, or screen, or Sakan (i.e. you enjoy the pleasure of living with them – as in Verse 7:189) Tafsir At-Tabarî] for you and you are the same for them.”

A person worships Allah as an individual, and attains to fulfill what Allah gave him, from the means to manifest the purpose of existence on earth, and this purpose of existence for male and female is the worship of Allah alone, and through the natural need for both there is an interaction that mirrors for both in each other in terms of support regarding the purpose of existence and in terms of support to safe guard from falling into evil, when we examine the hadith of the prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam – O Youth, whoever amongst you is able to marry, get marry, and whoever is not able to marry, is recommended to fast. Because it is a protection for your sight and a protection for your private part, lest the person falls in haram and this is a completion for both part to each other. Both are needed half and half in order to get the lawful enjoyment thus protection from falling into sin, therefore protection for the deen for each part, and this is one objective.

And second objective is multiplication, something beloved in Islam, for there in is the strengthening of the ummah and prevalence of the deen, and this is the second objective that cannot be achieved except by both.

And the thirdly is the society at large, righteous family, good society.

 The people of knowledge assert that a person with desire getting married is better than optional prayer, because there are so much benefit and good consequences, if he becomes negligence then she can complete him by reminders and vice versa, the married in accordance to the way of the Sunnah are in a state of contempt, we are talking about the overall situations, a marriage that brings people away from Allah should be checked from the beginning, how did it start, did it start on the way of the sunnah in terms of choice of either spouse, most often those who don’t get married yet they are able, often think of zina, the haram relation,  or haram means.

Is marriage an obligation or a Sunnah?

It is a matter of dispute between the scholars, some of the scholars went with the opinion that marriage is an obligation [wajib] and they stated that as evidence that it is from the way of the Messengers as Allah stated in the Qur’an, Surah ar-Raad, [013:038] “And indeed We sent Messengers before you (O Muhammad [sal-Allâhu 'alayhi wa sallam]), and made for them wives and offspring.”

And they said because of the Command of the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, “O youth, whoever of you is able to marry, let him get marry…” This is a command and command necessitate obligation. However, they conditioned the obligation is based on two matters, first one is financial ability and second one is physical ability, and third condition is also circumstantial ability, to be able to offer the wife her rights, and to be just if he is married to more than one.

Second opinion is that marriage is a sunnah, and this is the opinion of the majority of the scholars, and they reasoned that the aya cited by the other scholars on the other opinion, they said this aya there is no daleel – evidence in it on obligation rather it is a clarification that it is from the way of the Prophets, indicating recommendation, not obligation. In the command of the prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam to the youth, they said, this is a command of direction not the command of obligation.

Point of Benefit: Marriage however, the five ruling of Islam applies on it,

1.      It is an obligation if person fears falling in haram,

2.      Marriage is haram under certain circumstances, in the land where there is war, fearing for his family, and in the case if he marries another one, and unable to be just then it is forbidden,

3.      Marriage is disliked for the poor who has no lust, also because this person will burden himself with poverty

4.      Marriage is allowable for the person who has no lust and it is recommendable if he intends to protect a woman in this case by marrying her, so if he doesn’t have desire for marriage, or sexual desire, in this case allowable for him and it may be recommendable if he marries in order to protect a woman.

5.      It is a sunnah for the person who has desire and is able to carry the marriage and this is in accordance with the opinion of the majority of scholars.