Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (12/7)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

the foremost of which is that it is a sunnah, and because it is necessary for the survival of the Muslim community. Were it not for marriage, there would be no procreation; and were it not for procreation, the community would not endure. It also leads to immense benefits. A matter may be prescribed, even if no explicit command concerning it has been stated, because of the immense benefits and advantages that result from it.

Entering into it, when one has sexual desire, is better than voluntary acts of worship; and it is obligatory for one who fears committing fornication by abstaining from it, …

His statement, “Entering into it, when one has sexual desire, is better than voluntary acts of worship”: it is not better than obligatory acts of worship, for an obligation takes precedence over a sunnah. This is due to Allah’s statement in the hadith qudsi: “My servant does not draw nearer to Me with anything more beloved to Me than that which I have made obligatory upon him.” (1) Yet it is better than voluntary acts of worship. Thus, if a person has sexual desire and possesses sufficient means to fulfil the obligations of marriage, then marriage is better for him than voluntary acts of worship.

If someone were to ask, “Would you prefer that I remain in the mosque worshipping through prayer, glorification of Allah, and recitation of the Quran, or that I marry?”

We would say to him: As long as you have sexual desire and possess the means to fulfil the obligations of marriage, it is better for you to marry, because of the immense benefits it contains—benefits that outweigh voluntary acts of worship.

His statement, “And it is obligatory for one who fears committing fornication by abstaining from it”: this is the second ruling concerning marriage: it is obligatory for one who fears falling into fornication if he does not marry. This is due to the intensity of his sexual desire and the ease with which fornication may be committed in his land. A person’s desire may become intense, and he may fear that he will commit fornication, yet it may not be readily possible for him to do so because the land is protected,

(1) Narrated by al-Bukhari in The Book of Heart-Softening Narrations, chapter: “Humility” (6502), on the authority of Abu Hurayrah.

أجلها صار سنة، ولأنه من ضرورة بقاء الأمة؛ لأنه لولا النكاح ما حصل التوالد، ولولا التوالد ما بقيت الأمة، ولما يترتب عليه من المصالح العظيمة، والشيء قد يكون مطلوباً وإن لم ينص على طلبه لما يترتب عليه من المصالح والمنافع العظيمة. وَفِعْلُهُ مَعَ الشَّهْوَةِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ نَوَافِلِ الْعِبَادَةِ، وَيَجِبُ عَلَى مَنْ يَخَافُ زِنًا بِتَرْكِهِ، ........ قوله: «وفعله مع الشهوة أفضل من نوافل العبادة»، وليس أفضل من واجباتها؛ لأن الواجب مقدم على السنة لقوله تعالى في الحديث القدسي: «وما تقرَّب إليَّ عبدي بشيء أحب إلي مما افترضته عليه» (١)، لكن النوافل هو أفضل منها، فالنكاح إذا كان لدى الإنسان شهوة، وعنده مال يستطيع به القيام بواجب النكاح فإنه أفضل من نوافل العبادة. فلو قال قائل: هل تفضلون أن أبقى أتعبَّد في المسجد بالصلاة، والتسبيح، وقراءة القرآن، أو أن أتزوج؟ قلنا له: ما دُمْتَ ذا شهوة وعندك ما تقوم به بواجبات النكاح فإن الأفضل أن تتزوج؛ لأن فيه من المصالح العظيمة ما يربو على نوافل العبادة. قوله: «ويجب على من يخاف زناً بتركه»، هذا هو الحكم الثاني للنكاح، وهو الوجوب على من يخاف زنا بتركه؛ وذلك لشدة شهوته، ولتيسر الزنا في بلده؛ لأن الإنسان ربما تشتد به الشهوة ويخشى أن يزني، لكن لا يتيسر له؛ لأن البلد محفوظ،

(١) أخرجه البخاري في الرقاق/ باب التواضع (٦٥٠٢) عن أبي هريرة ﵁.