Fatwa: Sheikh Muhammad bin Saleh Al-Uthaymeen حفظ اللہ
“When a person comes to you with a proposal whose character and religion you are pleased with, then marry them.”
[Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Marriage, Chapter 46]
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) also said:
“O young people! Whoever among you can marry should do so, for it helps lower the gaze and guard the private parts.”
[Muttafaqun Alaih]
Refusing marriage defeats the purposes and benefits of marriage.
My advice to Muslim girls and their guardians is not to use education as an excuse to refuse marriage. However, it is possible for the girl to stipulate the condition of completing her education at the time of marriage. Similarly, she may set the condition to continue her education for a year or two, as long as she is not burdened with child-rearing duties during that time. There is no harm in this.
As for the issue of women's advancement in higher education up to the university level, our society does not necessarily require this. What I understand is that if a woman completes her basic education and learns to read and write, and gains the ability to benefit from the Quran, its interpretation, the Prophetic traditions (Hadith), and their explanations, this is sufficient.
However, pursuing knowledge that is critically needed by the community, such as medicine or other essential fields, is permissible, provided that it does not involve the negative aspects of mixed-gender education.
Question:
It is a common practice for a girl or her father to reject a marriage proposal because the girl needs to complete her college or university education, or she needs to study for a few more years. What is the ruling on this? What advice would you give to those who do this? It is noteworthy that many girls remain unmarried until they are thirty or older.Answer:
Such behavior is a clear violation of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). He said:“When a person comes to you with a proposal whose character and religion you are pleased with, then marry them.”
[Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Marriage, Chapter 46]
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) also said:
“O young people! Whoever among you can marry should do so, for it helps lower the gaze and guard the private parts.”
[Muttafaqun Alaih]
Refusing marriage defeats the purposes and benefits of marriage.
My advice to Muslim girls and their guardians is not to use education as an excuse to refuse marriage. However, it is possible for the girl to stipulate the condition of completing her education at the time of marriage. Similarly, she may set the condition to continue her education for a year or two, as long as she is not burdened with child-rearing duties during that time. There is no harm in this.
As for the issue of women's advancement in higher education up to the university level, our society does not necessarily require this. What I understand is that if a woman completes her basic education and learns to read and write, and gains the ability to benefit from the Quran, its interpretation, the Prophetic traditions (Hadith), and their explanations, this is sufficient.
However, pursuing knowledge that is critically needed by the community, such as medicine or other essential fields, is permissible, provided that it does not involve the negative aspects of mixed-gender education.
