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The question

What is the authenticity and explanation of the following hadiths: "Marry, otherwise you are among the brothers of devils," "Marriage is my Sunnah, and whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me," and "The lowest of your dead are the bachelors"?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20262 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The authentic Sunnah of the Prophet encourages marriage. Among the Ahadith indicating this is the Hadith narrated by Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): "Three people came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asking about the worship of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). When they were informed, they seemed to consider it too little. They said, 'Where are we compared to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? His past and future sins have been forgiven.' One of them said, 'As for me, I will pray all night forever.' Another said, 'I will fast continuously and never break my fast.' And another said, 'I will keep away from women and never marry.' Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to them and said, 'Are you the ones who said such and such? By Allah, I am the most afraid of Allah and the most pious among you, yet I fast and I break my fast, I pray and I sleep, and I marry women. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me.'"

This Hadith does not condemn celibacy absolutely, but rather condemns it if it is driven by monasticism or the belief in the superiority of celibacy over marriage.

As for Ahadith that absolutely condemn celibacy or absolutely praise it, such as: "Marry, or else you are among the brothers of devils," and "The worst among your dead are the unmarried," these are weak or fabricated, and none of them are authentic.

Similarly, the Hadith "Marriage is my Sunnah, and whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me," although its chain of narration is weak, it has an authentic corroborating narration.

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Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
8083
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
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