The Importance of Starting a Family in Islam

The creation of men and women with different characteristics is so that they can complement each other. In the following verse, Almighty Allah (swt) draws attention to the characteristic of man not to live alone, but as a community: "And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought." (Rum, 30/21) It is possible for people living in society to overcome their loneliness in this world and to meet their physical and emotional needs by establishing a family. The person, who has been in the family environment from the moment he was born, feels the need to establish a new family after growing to maturity. This is not only an innate feature of him, but also the expectation of society from him. Because this new family to be established will ensure the continuity of the generation and society. For this reason, it is important for individuals as well as for societies to get married and start a family. The Messenger of Allah (saw), who is the best example, pointed to the importance of marriage with the following hadith: “O young people! Whoever among you can marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty.” (Bukhari, Nikah, 3) “When the believer gets married he fulfills the half of his religion. Let him avoid opposing Allah in the remaining half.” With this hadith, he drew attention to the role of marriage in religious life and by saying (Bayhaqi, Şuabü’l-îmân, IV, 382) “Marriage is part of my sunnah...”(Ibn Majah, Nikah, 1) He encourages the believers to marry and start a family.  

Our religion forbids priesthood and does not approve of abandoning natural needs such as eating, sleeping or getting married even for the purpose of worship. (Hadid, 57/27; Ibn Hanbal, VI, 226) As a matter of fact, in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), there were those who understood and interpreted not getting married and not starting a family as piety. One of the three Companions, who thought that they should worship more in order to gain Allah's consent, decided to spend their nights praying all the time. Another said that he would fast constantly, while the other said that he would stay away from women and never marry. The Messenger of Allah, who was aware of the situation, did not find this attitude correct and warned them as follows: “Are you the same people who said so-and-so? By Allah, I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you; yet I fast and break my fast,  I pray (in a part of the night) and sleep (in a part of it). and I also marry women.  So he who does not follow my tradition in religion, is not from me (not one of my followers). (Bukhari, Nikah, 1; Muslim, Nikah, 1)