By: Allama Mohammed Shihabuddin Nadvi

Foundation of the Family
A study of the Qur’an reveals that Almighty Allah first created man in the form of Adam (pbuh) and then created Eve (pbuh) to alleviate Adam’s loneliness and distress, as it is elaborated in some hadiths.(1) This means that the Creator has made the woman as a source of comfort for the man, as indicated in the following verse:

ھُوَالَّذِيْ خَلَقَکُمْ مِنْ نَّفْسٍ وَّاحِدَةٍ وّجَعَلَ مِنْھَا زَوْجَھَا لِيَسْکُنَ اِلَيْھَا. (الأعراف: 189)
It is He who created you from one soul and created from it its mate that he may find comfort in her. (A’raf: 189)

If the union of a man and a woman takes place on the basis of righteousness and purity, i.e., if the bond between the two is under moral and shariah constraints, then the family and social system will come into existence. It has been going on since the time of Adam (pbuh).

يَا اَيُّھَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوْ رَبَّکُمُ الَّذِى خَلَقَکُمْ مِنْ نَّفْسٍ وَّاحِدَةٍ وَّخَلَقَ مِنْھَا زَوْجَھَا وَبَثَّ مِنْھُمَا رِجَالاً کَثِيْراً وَّنِسَاءً وَاتَّقُوا اللّہَ الَّذِى تَسَاءَلُوْنَ بِهِ وَالْاَرْحَامَ، اِنَّ اللّہَ کَانَ عَلَيْکُمْ رَقِيْباً۔ (النساء: 1)
“O people! Fear your Lord Who created you from a single being and He created its mate from it. And out these two, He spread many men and women. Fear Allah in Whose name You plead for justice. And beware of (injustice) in the matter of kinship. Surely, Allah is watching over you. (Nisa: 1)

Thus, it is clear that without the family system, kinships cannot come into existence. And the foundation brick of the family system is the establishment of chastity or marital life, which cannot be maintained through unmarried life or free intercourse. Therefore, in order to create a righteous and chaste society, it is necessary to strengthen the family system and family ties. From this point of view, marriage occupies utmost important that has taken place in accordance with the Shariah and moral rules. It is obvious that this great objective cannot be achieved in having independent sexual relations, because due to the free sexual relations between men and women, neither relationships can be born nor a family can be formed. On the contrary, as a result, a herd of wild human beings, devoid of civilization, could emerge. Obviously, no nation can come into being with the emergence of such wild human beings. On the contrary, it can disperse the culture and social system of a nation. If we look at it from realistic point of view, it will be realized that this kind of chaos can endanger the very existence of human beings.

Marriage is the Sunnah of the Prophets
For this reason, marriage and married life have been declared the Sunnah of the Holy Prophets. And it has been emphasized significantly. Therefore, it is clearly stated in the Holy Qur’an that the Prophets who have been considered as role models for the humanity were married and had their families.

وَلَقَدْ اَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلاً مِنْ قَبْلِکَ وَجَعَلْنَا لَھُمْ اَزْوَاجاً وَّذُرِّيَّةً۔ (رعد: 38)
“O Muhammad (pbuh), We indeed sent (many) Messengers before you and We blessed them with wives and children.” (Raad)
Let us look at some of the hadiths in this regard, which explain this verse.

اَرْبَعُ مِنْ سُنَنِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْن: اَلْحَيَاءُ، وَالتَّعَطُّرُ، وَالسِّوَاکُ، وَالنِّکَاحُ:
There are four habits which are Sunnah of the Prophets: modesty, perfuming, use of miswak, and marriage.(2)

It is narrated by Anas (RA) that three persons came to the wives of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and asked them how the Prophet (PBUH) worshipped. When they were informed about that, they considered it too little, and said to each other, “Where are we from the Prophet (PBUH) as all of his past and future sins have been forgiven?” Then one of them said, “I will always pray throughout the night forever.” Another said, “I will always fast and will never break my fast.” And the third said, “I will keep away myself from women and will never marry.” The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) came to them and said, ‘Are you the ones who have said such things?’ Then he said:

اَمَا وَاللّہِ اِنِّى لَاَخْشَاکُمْ لِلّہِ وَاَتْقَاکُمْ لَہُ، وَلکِنِّى اَصُومُ وَاُفْطِرُ وَاُصَلِّى وَاَرْقَدُ وَاَتَزَوَّجُ النِّسَاءَ۔ فَمَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِى فَلَيْسَ مِنِّى:
By Allah, I am the most God-fearing of you and I am more submissive to Allah. Yet I fast and also break my fast. I do pray and sleep and I also marry women. So whoever deviates from my Sunnah is not from me.(3)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar has also argued from this hadith that those who forbid the use of things like food and clothing and prefer to have low standard of living, their rejection also lies in this hadith.(4)

قال رسول اللہ صلى اللہ عليہ وسلم: النکاح من سنتى فمن لم يعمل بسنتى فليس منى:
The Prophet (PBUH) said: Marriage is my sunnah, and he who does not follow my sunnah is not from me.(5)

من احب فطرتى فليستتن بسنتى:ومن سنتى النکاح۔
The Messenger of Allaah (PBUH) said: Whoever likes my way, let him follow my Sunnah, and my Sunnah is marriage. (6)

When a man named ‘Ukaaf’ came to the Messenger of Allaah (PBUH). The prophet (PBUH) asks him, O Ukaaf, Do you have wife?’ He says no. The prophet (PBUH) asks him, do you have a slave girl? He replied no. On hearing this, the prophet (PBUH) asked him this is despite you are very rich? “Yes, I am very rich,” he says. Then the prophet (PBUH) said:

انت اذا من اخوان الشياطين۔ لوکنت فى النصارى کنت من رھبانھم۔ ان سنتنا النکاح۔ شرارکم عزابکم واراذل موتاکم عزابکم۔ أبا الشيطان تمرسون؟ ما للشيطان من سلاح ابلغ فى الصالحين من النساء الا المتزوجون۔ اولئک المطھرون من الخنا۔
Then you are Satan’s brother. If you were a Christian, you would be one of their monks. Our Sunnah is to get married (not to be unmarried like Christians). The worst people are those who are unmarried. And such people are (morally) corrupt. So do you play with the devil? The devil’s weapon for righteous person is none other than women, which cannot work on married people. These are the people (married) who avoid obscenity. (7)

In a nutshell, according to the Qur’an and Hadith, marriage is the way of the Holy Prophets and especially Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The hadiths emphasize the importance of marriage and its benefits, as will be explained later. Rationally too it has of utmost important. According to the correct point of view, marriage is a Sunnat Muakkada (definite sunnah).

References:
1 – Tahzeeb al-Asma wal-Lughat, Mohiuddin Nawawi, V. 2, P. 340, Beirut.
2 – Sunan Tirmizi, V. 3, P. 391, Beirut; Musnad Ahmed, V. 5, P. 421, Beirut, Sunan Sayeed Bin Mansour, V. 1, P. 125, Gujarat.
3 – Sahih Bukhari, Chapter of Marriage, V. 6, P. 116, Istanbul; Sahih Muslim, V. 2, P. 1020, Riyadh; Sunan Nasa’ie, V. 2, P. 277, Compile by Albani, Al Sunan Al Kubra, V. 7, P. 77.
4 – Fathul Bari, V. 9, P. 106, Riyadh.
5 – Sunan Ibn Majah, Chapter of Marriage, V. 1, P. 592; Darul Fikr, Beirut.
6 – Al Sunan al-Kubra, Baihaqi, V. 7, P. 78, Multan; Sunan Sayeed Bin Mansoor, V. 1, P. 121.
7 – Al Fathur Rabbani, V. 16, P. 139-140, Cairo, Musannaf Abdul Razzaq, V. 6, P. 171, Beirut.