from the wholesome things Allah has allowed, thinking thereby to draw nearer to Him and devote themselves exclusively to worship; likewise, a batūl woman is one who has cut herself off from men and feels no desire for them.
– al-walūd: a woman prone to bearing many children. If she has never been married, this can be inferred from her close female relatives—her mother, grandmothers, maternal aunts, sisters, and the like.
– mukāthir: takāthur is boasting and taking pride in having a large following.
Lessons drawn from the ḥadith
1 – The Wise Lawgiver commands marriage because of the great benefits and numerous advantages it brings. A divine command normally indicates obligation. Therefore, if a person fears falling into immorality, marriage becomes mandatory for him so that he may safeguard his chastity and lower his gaze. If he does not fear that, it remains recommended—and is in fact superior to optional acts of worship—because of the many important interests it secures.
2 – Lifelong celibacy, cutting oneself off from women, and abandoning marriage for the sake of worship are prohibited; a prohibition denotes impermissibility, and here it is especially emphatic because such conduct contradicts the way of the Messengers. Allah Most High says, “We certainly sent messengers before you and gave them wives and offspring” (Q 13 : 38). Moreover, celibacy frustrates Allah’s cosmic will that the earth be populated.
3 – Islam is a religion of ease and facilitation. It dislikes excess and harshness and calls for moderation and balance, so that a person can perform all the duties for which he was created. Monastic celibacy belonged to the Christian dispensation, so the Prophet ﷺ forbade his community from adopting it, that progeny might increase, the ranks of the Muslims grow, and jihad be established and maintained.
4 – Allah, reproaching the Christians for their religious extremism and excess in worship, said: “But monasticism they invented; We did not prescribe it for them” (Q 57 : 27)—that is, it was an innovation of their own making, not legislated or commanded for them by Allah; rather, they adopted it out of exaggerated zeal