Balancing college education and Imaan while dealing with unsupportive parents?

In the name of Allah Ta’ala.

All praise is for Allah and may blessings be showered upon his Messenger, Muhammad Sallallahu alaihi wasallam.

May Allah Ta’ala shower his mercy upon you as many of todays Allah-fearing youth face this dilemma and you have made the effort to come forward with the problem you face. Knowledge is a great fruit that everyone must taste from and must make the utmost effort to try and grasp. You have also tried to put yourself in the category of those people who are trying to trod this path. Rmember, there will be many obstacles in your way and the one that you are facing right now is the most trickiest and dangerous of them all. You must ask Allah Ta’ala to give you patience and also, the courage to overpower Nafs and Shaytaan.

As for your question, if a person is in a situation that if he doesn’t resort to Nikaah he will engage in the Haraam than is a Fardh (obligatory) requirement that he should perform Nikaah. On the other hand, if there is fear that this very person will neglect the rights of his wife and will not be able to fulfil them, i,e, expensesthan it wil be Makrooh (Disliked).

Bearing the above-mentioned in mind, the situation that you are facing whilst going to study is a case in which you can only safeguard your Imaan by performing Nikaah. On the other hand, you may not have the means to support your wife. That is probably why your parents pay no attention to the matter. For such a situation, Rasoolullah urged that Fasting should be observed to crush ones temptations and desires.

In one Hadith Rasoolullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam once addressed the youth and said, ” Oh group of youth! Whosoever from amongst you has the strength of intercourse then he should get married. (i.e, able to provide for her, and sexual potency). Whosoever lacks this, then he should observe fasting, for this will be a shield for him against his temptations. It must be noted here that fasting doesn’t mean that a person observe it for one day or two days or even a week, then say it doesnt work. It means that a person fast for as long as it takes. Inshallah, Allah will provide Patience for him. The situation and environment of Colleges and Universities is known to all and the extreme measures one must take to safeguard his imaan are not hidden. Just looking at this, we cannot advise you to get married. All aspects must be taken into consideration. It’s very important that we follow the hadith in which Rasoolullah, the Doctor of our hearts has laid down the correct medicine. His words are not merely from desires but he speaks the revelaton of Allah only. If one tries to seek another way to surpress his temptations and ignores the hadith then Allah’s help will never come. One must start to act upon this Hadith if he faces this situation, then only will Allah assist him.

May Allah help you and all the Muttaqeen. Ameen

Answer Approved by Shaikhul Hadeeth Mufti Farooq

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Mufti Yaseen Shaikh