Is it permissible to propose to a girl and marry her after 4 or 5 years, knowing that the suitor does not own a home or a private business, and that his friends will pay the dowry?

It is not permissible to establish a relationship between a man and a woman who is not his mahram, even with the intention of marriage. If the man desires to marry his paternal cousin, he must cut off the forbidden relationship and initiate the lawful procedures for proposing to her through her guardian, while clarifying his intention to postpone the marriage until after his studies. Engagement does not permit what is forbidden, and the girl remains a non-mahram to him. There is no harm in accepting donations from colleagues for the dowry and marriage expenses, as this is a form of cooperation in righteousness. It is advisable to expedite the marriage for the sake of chastity, as it is a cause for assistance and ease in affairs. Allah says: "And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty, and Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing." (An-Nur: 32). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, advised young men to marry if they are able, and to fast if they are not able.