Recommendation to get married; Marriage protects from one falling into sin

While I was walking with ʿAbdullāh at Miná, ʿUthmān happened to meet him. He stopped there and began to talk with him. ʿUthmān said to him: Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, should we not marry you to a young girl who may remind you some of the past of your bygone days?

Thereupon he said: If you say so, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "O young men, those among you who can support a wife should marry, for it lowers the eyes ˹away from lustful gazing˺ and a protects one's chastity. But those who are unable to ˹get married,˺ they should fast, for it is shield for him ˹against sinful desires˺."  

كُنْتُ أَمْشِي مَعَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بِمِنًى فَلَقِيَهُ عُثْمَانُ فَقَامَ مَعَهُ يُحَدِّثُهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ عُثْمَانُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَلاَ نُزَوِّجُكَ جَارِيَةً شَابَّةً لَعَلَّهَا تُذَكِّرُكَ بَعْضَ مَا مَضَى مِنْ زَمَانِكَ؟

قَالَ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ لَئِنْ قُلْتَ ذَاكَ لَقَدْ قَالَ لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «يَا مَعْشَرَ الشَّبَابِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمُ الْبَاءَةَ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ فَإِنَّهُ أَغَضُّ لِلْبَصَرِ وَأَحْصَنُ لِلْفَرْجِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَعَلَيْهِ بِالصَّوْمِ فَإِنَّهُ لَهُ وِجَاءٌ۔»  

While I was going along with 'Abdullah b. Ma'sud (Allah he pleased with him) in Mina, 'Uthman b. 'Affan (Allah be pleased with him) happened to meet him and said: Come here, Abu 'Abd al-Rahman (kunya of Abdullah b. Mas'ud), and he isolated him (from me), and when 'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) saw that there was no need (for this privacy), he said to me: 'Alqama, come on, and so I went there. (Then) 'Uthman said to him: Abu Abd al-Rahman, should we not marry you to a virgin girl that your past may be recalled to your mind? 'Abdullah said: If you say so, the rest of the hadith is the same as narrated above.  

لَهُ عُثْمَانُ أَلاَ نُزَوِّجُكَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ جَارِيَةً بِكْرًا لَعَلَّهُ يَرْجِعُ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ مَا كُنْتَ تَعْهَدُ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ لَئِنْ قُلْتَ ذَاكَ فَذَكَرَ بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِ أَبِي مُعَاوِيَةَ  

0 young men, those among you who can support a wife should marry, for it restrains eyes (from casting evil glances) and preserves one from immorality; but he who cannot afford It should observe fast for it is a means of controlling the sexual desire.  

لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَا مَعْشَرَ الشَّبَابِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمُ الْبَاءَةَ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ فَإِنَّهُ أَغَضُّ لِلْبَصَرِ وَأَحْصَنُ لِلْفَرْجِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَعَلَيْهِ بِالصَّوْمِ فَإِنَّهُ لَهُ وِجَاءٌ  

I and my uncle 'Alqama and al-Aswad went to 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud (Allah be pleased with him). He (the narrator further) said: I was at that time young, and he narrated a hadith which it seemed he narrated for me that Messenger of Allah ﷺ said like one transmitted by Mu'awiya, and further added: I lost no time in marrying.  

وَأَنَا شَابٌّ يَوْمَئِذٍ فَذَكَرَ حَدِيثًا رُئِيتُ أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَ بِهِ مِنْ أَجْلِي قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِ أَبِي مُعَاوِيَةَ وَزَادَ قَالَ فَلَمْ أَلْبَثْ حَتَّى تَزَوَّجْتُ  

We went to him, and I was the youngest of all (of us), but he did not mention:" I lost no time in marrying."  

دَخَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَأَنَا أَحْدَثُ الْقَوْمِ بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِهِمْ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ فَلَمْ أَلْبَثْ حَتَّى تَزَوَّجْتُ  

I will not marry women; someone among them said: I will not eat meat; and someone among them said: I will not lie down in bed. He (the Holy Prophet) praised Allah and glorified Him, and said: What has happened to these people that they say so and so, whereas I observe prayer and sleep too; I observe fast and suspend observing them; I marry women also? And he who turns away from my Sunnah, he has no relation with Me  

أَنَّ نَفَرًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ سَأَلُوا أَزْوَاجَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ عَنْ عَمَلِهِ فِي السِّرِّ فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لاَ أَتَزَوَّجُ النِّسَاءَ وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لاَ آكُلُ اللَّحْمَ وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لاَ أَنَامُ عَلَى فِرَاشٍ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ مَا بَالُ أَقْوَامٍ قَالُوا كَذَا وَكَذَا لَكِنِّي أُصَلِّي وَأَنَامُ وَأَصُومُ وَأُفْطِرُ وَأَتَزَوَّجُ النِّسَاءَ فَمَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي  

The Messengger of Allah ﷺ rejected (the idea) of Uthman b. Muz'unliving in celibacy (saying): And if he (the Holy Prophet) had given me permission We would have got ourselves castrated.  

رَدَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَى عُثْمَانَ بْنِ مَظْعُونٍ التَّبَتُّلَ وَلَوْ أَذِنَ لَهُ لاَخْتَصَيْنَا  

I heard Sa'd (b. Abi Waqqas) saying that the idea of 'Uthman b. Maz'un for living in celibacy was rejected (by the Holy Prophet), and if he had been given permission they would have got themselves castrated.  

سَمِعْتُ سَعْدًا يَقُولُ رُدَّ عَلَى عُثْمَانَ بْنِ مَظْعُونٍ التَّبَتُّلُ وَلَوْ أُذِنَ لَهُ لاَخْتَصَيْنَا  

Sa'id b. al Musayyib heard Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas (Allah be pleased with him) saying that Uthman b. Maz'un decided to live in celibacy, but Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade him to do so, and if he had permitted him, we would have got ourselves castrated.  

أَنْ يَتَبَتَّلَ فَنَهَاهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَلَوْ أَجَازَ لَهُ ذَلِكَ لاَخْتَصَيْنَا