PART THIRTY-TWO
THE BOOK OF MARRIAGE

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

All praise belongs to Allah alone, and may blessings and peace be upon him after whom there is no prophet.

The shaykh and imam, the learned and eminent scholar, Shaykh al-Islām Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah sanctify his soul—was asked about someone who had been struck by one of Iblīs’s poisoned arrows.

He replied:

Anyone suffering from a poisoned wound must use an antidote and an ointment to draw out the poison and heal the wound. This can be achieved through several measures:

Among them is to marry or take a slave woman as a concubine. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“When one of you looks at a woman’s beauty, let him have relations with his wife, for she has what that woman has.”

This helps diminish desire and weaken infatuation.

Second: He should consistently observe the five daily prayers, supplicate, and humbly beseech Allah in the hours before dawn. His prayer should be offered with an attentive heart and humble devotion. He should frequently supplicate, saying:

“O Turner of hearts, keep my heart steadfast upon Your religion. O Director of hearts, direct my heart toward obedience to You and obedience to Your Messenger.”

If he persists in supplication and humble entreaty to Allah, his heart will be turned away from that attachment, as Allah Most High said:

“Thus it was, that We might turn evil and indecency away from him. Indeed, he was one of Our chosen servants.”