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۔»