For All Muslims who are Single - NikahExplorer

All Muslims are encouraged to marry at a young age and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) has himself asked all people that if they can afford it they should marry. However, the entire process of getting married is not a simple one and many a times it takes years to find the perfect match for yourself. In an attempt to trying to find a match that matches a specific criteria you have set in mind (or for many other reasons) ones marriage keeps getting delayed and that is when society steps in to shun those individuals as the “single” of the lot. “You’re still not married?” and “How long would it take you to finally settle down?” are the questions and comments faced by many single Muslims as they seek to find their life partner. While a few of these may have been said in goodwill they do bring about undue pressure on the individuals, and this is true for brothers and sisters both. So much so that comments like these may force the person to marry the person they know is wrong for them, in a rush.

We must be careful not to fall for this trap if we are single and looking. Allah has asked us to marry young but has not asked us to marry blindly so we must ponder the decision of marriage very very carefully. We may set a number of criteria for our future spouses but Allah has set very few. Nonetheless they are important. He, Subhanwatallah, has asked us to marry a person of faith, a person of deen and a person who believes in the Oneness of Allah. If the fact that you have NOT found such a person is the reason for you to not get married, then by all means remain single. It is better to marry someone who reminds you of Allah all the time than someone who takes you to the path of hell.

So be patient all you Single Muslims out there. Your time will come. Allah has made us into pairs and you will undoubtedly finds yours very soon. The Holy Prophet has said about those who are not able to get married that “O young people! Whoever amongst you can marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty, and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting is a shield for him (from desires).”[Sahih al-Bukhari]

And for those who have Single Muslims in their family, please learn to be more tolerant. Do not make your single Muslim family members feel that they are incomplete in any way if they are not married. Do not make them feel that they have failed to reach an important goal and hence failed in life. Be compassionate towards them as the Holy Prophet (PBUH) taught us to be.

Marriage may be fulfilling half your faith, but it is not the end of your life. Neither is it your ultimate objective. Marriage is just a path that will take you to your ultimate objective, Jannah, as will many other things in the religion. So pray. Pray that when you do eventually get married you have a foundation that will take you there and not the other way.