Excerpt from: Ahkām wa Masā’il – In the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah by Shaykh Mubashshir Ahmad Rabbānī
Should one marry for the desire to have children? What guidance does the Qur’an and Sunnah provide in this regard?
After marriage, one of the greatest hopes and desires of both husband and wife is the attainment of righteous offspring. This is a natural human inclination – a person wishes that Allah grant him a worthy heir who will, after his death, manage his wealth, property, and affairs wisely, carry forward his goals, and become a sincere successor.
Offspring are the primary means for the survival of the human race, and Allah Almighty has not left this matter unaddressed in the Noble Qur’an. Rather, He has guided humanity regarding it, saying:
﴿فَالْآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا﴾
“Now you may lie with your wives and seek what Allah has decreed for you; and eat and drink…”
[al-Baqarah: 187]
Many scholars of Tafsīr, including Ibn Kathīr, have explained that “what Allah has decreed for you” refers to children.
Even the most exalted personalities, the Prophets and Messengers, not only longed for righteous children but also supplicated to Allah for them.
The supplication of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام, the forefather of the Prophets, was:
﴿رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ﴾
“O my Lord! Grant me from among the righteous.”
[as-Sāffāt: 100]
Zakariyyā عليه السلام, in his old age, prayed in the following manner:
﴿وَإِنِّي خِفْتُ الْمَوَالِيَ مِن وَرَائِي وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا فَهَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا . يَرِثُنِي وَيَرِثُ مِنْ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ ۖ وَاجْعَلْهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّا﴾
“Indeed, I fear [the behavior of] my relatives after me, and my wife is barren, so grant me from Yourself an heir. He will inherit from me and from the family of Yaʿqūb. And make him, my Lord, pleasing [to You].”
[Maryam: 5–6]
Furthermore, the Noble Messenger ﷺ encouraged marriage by saying:
"Marry women who are loving and fertile, for I will boast of your great numbers before the nations."
[Ibn Ḥibbān: 4028, 4056, 4057; Musnad Aḥmad: 2/150, Ḥadīth 12640, 13604; Abū Dāwūd: 2050]
This ḥadīth clearly indicates that marriage with the intention of having many children is not only encouraged, but it is a religious virtue. Moreover, praying for a righteous heir is from the sunnah of the Prophets.
One of the essential purposes of marriage is the continuity of human lineage, and thus, marrying with the intention of having children is endorsed by the Sharīʿah. Islam permits a man to marry up to four wives, as clarified in Sūrat an-Nisāʾ, and this is from his right of manhood.
Hence, it is Islamically encouraged to marry for the sake of having righteous children and securing a noble lineage.
(And Allah knows best!)
❖ Question:
Should one marry for the desire to have children? What guidance does the Qur’an and Sunnah provide in this regard?
✿ Answer:
After marriage, one of the greatest hopes and desires of both husband and wife is the attainment of righteous offspring. This is a natural human inclination – a person wishes that Allah grant him a worthy heir who will, after his death, manage his wealth, property, and affairs wisely, carry forward his goals, and become a sincere successor.
Offspring are the primary means for the survival of the human race, and Allah Almighty has not left this matter unaddressed in the Noble Qur’an. Rather, He has guided humanity regarding it, saying:
﴿فَالْآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا﴾
“Now you may lie with your wives and seek what Allah has decreed for you; and eat and drink…”
[al-Baqarah: 187]Many scholars of Tafsīr, including Ibn Kathīr, have explained that “what Allah has decreed for you” refers to children.
Even the most exalted personalities, the Prophets and Messengers, not only longed for righteous children but also supplicated to Allah for them.
The supplication of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام, the forefather of the Prophets, was:
﴿رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ﴾
“O my Lord! Grant me from among the righteous.”
[as-Sāffāt: 100]Zakariyyā عليه السلام, in his old age, prayed in the following manner:
﴿وَإِنِّي خِفْتُ الْمَوَالِيَ مِن وَرَائِي وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا فَهَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا . يَرِثُنِي وَيَرِثُ مِنْ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ ۖ وَاجْعَلْهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّا﴾
“Indeed, I fear [the behavior of] my relatives after me, and my wife is barren, so grant me from Yourself an heir. He will inherit from me and from the family of Yaʿqūb. And make him, my Lord, pleasing [to You].”
[Maryam: 5–6]Furthermore, the Noble Messenger ﷺ encouraged marriage by saying:
"Marry women who are loving and fertile, for I will boast of your great numbers before the nations."
[Ibn Ḥibbān: 4028, 4056, 4057; Musnad Aḥmad: 2/150, Ḥadīth 12640, 13604; Abū Dāwūd: 2050]This ḥadīth clearly indicates that marriage with the intention of having many children is not only encouraged, but it is a religious virtue. Moreover, praying for a righteous heir is from the sunnah of the Prophets.
✔ Summary Ruling:
One of the essential purposes of marriage is the continuity of human lineage, and thus, marrying with the intention of having children is endorsed by the Sharīʿah. Islam permits a man to marry up to four wives, as clarified in Sūrat an-Nisāʾ, and this is from his right of manhood.
Hence, it is Islamically encouraged to marry for the sake of having righteous children and securing a noble lineage.
(And Allah knows best!)
