Marriage
I am a 24 year old male and I have desire to begin searching for a suitable spouse to make nikah.
My main niyyat doing this is to be saved from the zinnah and I feel mentally I am ready. The thing that I need advice with is that I currently am not working and do not have any direct income(apart from about 3k a month from a small business of my own) My father has a business and I do help out there from time to time but it is not permanent as the business is small. Alhamdulilah I know that my parents will assist me wherever they can but I am not sure if I should rather wait until I have a job first and then decide to get married. What advice can you give to me? My parents do not mind me pursuing nikah but they also ask me how is it that I will make ends meet.
JazakAllah
Answer
Wa’alaykum as Salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,
Since you are not earning enough to run a home, we advise that for now, you rather build up some wealth, and look for a better source of income. Allah Ta’ala advises in verse 33 of Surah an-Nur:
وَلْيَسْتَعْفِفِ الَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ نِكَاحًا حَتَّى يُغْنِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ
“And let those who do not have the means to marry keep themselves chaste until Allah enriches them out of His bounty.”
We have dealt with just too many marital issues arising because of wealth. So for now, make Du’aa, and make effort.
At your age, it is also natural to have desires. For this, you should fast. The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) advised:
وسلم “يا معشر الشباب من استطاع الباءة فليتزوج فإنه أغض للبصر وأحصن للفرج ومن لم يستطع فعليه بالصوم فإنه له وجاء ” (أخرجه البخاري في صحيحه – 7 / 3)
“O group of youth, whoever has the ability to marry, then he should marry, for verily this is a means of lowering ones gazes and protecting ones chastity. Whoever cannot do so then he should take to fasting for verily this is a shield for him.” (Sahih- Al- Bukhari- 3/7)