Preference to marry single then matron.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
Assalamualaikum
I
would like to know further explanation on the following ayah of surah Noor :
|
32 |
And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who
has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Sâlihűn
(pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female
slaves). If they be poor, Allâh will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allâh
is All-Sufficent for His creatures' needs, All-Knowing (about the state of
the people). |
Does
this ayah encourage ppl to first consider marrying single and then consider
nonsingle if there are no options?
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Answer:
Preference to marry
single then matron
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His
help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide,
and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear
witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His
Messengers.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 24 Surah Noor
verses 30-33:
30 Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard
their modesty: that will make for greater purity for
them: and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.
31 And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and
guard their modesty; that they should not display
their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that
they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty
except to their husbands their fathers their husbands' fathers their sons their
husbands' sons their brothers or their brothers' sons or their sisters' sons or
their women or the slaves whom their right hands possess or male servants free
of physical needs or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and
that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their
hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers!
turn ye all together towards Allah that ye may attain Bliss.
32 Marry those among you who are single or the virtuous ones among your slaves male or female: if they are
in poverty Allah will give them means out of His grace: for Allah encompasseth
all and He knoweth all things.
33 Let those who find not the wherewithal for marriage keep themselves
chaste until Allah gives them means out of His grace. And if any of your slaves ask for a deed in
writing (to enable them to earn their freedom for a certain sum) give them such
a deed if ye know any good in them; yea give them something yourselves out of
the means which Allah has given to you.
But force not your maids to prostitution when they desire chastity in
order that ye may make a gain in the goods of this life. But if anyone compels them yet after such
compulsion is Allah Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful (to them).
Your
Question: Does this ayah encourage ppl to first consider marrying single and
then consider nonsingle if there are no options?
A believing woman who is not currently united in the bond
of marriage with anyone, regardless of whether she was previously married or
not will be considered as ‘single’ and eligible for marriage.
Because Allah Subhanah has given the believing men the
option to marry and keep a maximum of four wives, one who in currently in the
bond of marriage will not be considered ‘single’, but eligible to marry if he
wishes to exercise his option of marrying more than one wife.
Although it is only natural that one would prefer to marry
one who is ‘single’ and does not have ‘baggage’ from their previous marriage/s
(woman having a child/children, or a man already having a wife/wives,
etc.)……that is not the guidance this specific Command of the Lord in verse 32
of Surah Noor is referring to.
If one reads the verse 32 of Surah Noor in context with
the verses preceding and proceeding it, one would realize that the context in
which this Verse and Guidance is revealed is not to determine whom to marry, or
who should one prefer to marry….but rather its guidance is regarding the
safeguarding of the moral standards of a righteous believing society that Islam
so earnestly strives to develop and protect.
‘And marry those
among you who are single……’ is a Command and a Guidance by the Lord
given to the believing society at large encouraging them to strive or take
steps to marry those who are ‘single’ amongst them. Thus, for example, if one has two children
and one amongst them is already married, they are encouraged to hasten to get
their second child married…..for marriage helps one guard their modesty and
thus helps in building a morally righteous society.
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.4 Narrated by Abdullah
We were with the Prophet (saws) while we were
young and had no wealth whatever. So Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "O
young people! Whoever among you can marry, should marry, because it helps
him lower his gaze and guard his modesty, and whoever is not able to
marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power."
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is
the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister