Tafsir of An-Nur 24:32

{الأيامى} (The unmarried): The singular is ayyim. Its root is ayā’im and yatā’im, which were then inverted. An ayyim is one who is unmarried, whether male or female, whether they have never been married (virgins) or have been married before. One says: āma (he became unmarried), āmat (she became unmarried), and ta’ayyama.

A poet said: If you marry, I shall marry; if you remain unmarried, Even if I am younger than you, I shall remain unmarried.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "O Allah, we seek refuge in You from ‘aymah (unmarried state), ghaymah (drought), aymah (sin), kazm (suppressing anger), and qarm (intense craving)."

The meaning is: Marry off those among you who are unmarried, both free men and free women, and those among your male and female slaves who possess righteousness (ṣalāḥ). It has been recited as "from your slaves." This command is for recommendation (nadb), as it is known that marriage is a recommended act. It may become obligatory for guardians when the woman requests it. According to the Ẓāhirī school, marriage is mandatory.

Evidence for its recommendation includes the Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying: "Whoever loves my fiṭrah (natural disposition) should follow my sunnah, and it is marriage." And: "Whoever has the means to marry but does not, is not of us." And: "When one of you marries, his devil cries out: 'Woe to him! The son of Adam has protected two-thirds of his religion from me.'" And: "O ‘Iyāḍ, do not marry an old woman or a barren one, for I will boast of your numbers." The traditions and reports from the Prophet (ﷺ) on this are numerous.

Marriage may become forbidden if it leads to sin or corruption. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "When one hundred and eighty years pass for my nation, celibacy, seclusion, and monasticism on mountain tops become permissible." And in another tradition: "A time will come upon people when livelihood is only attained through sin; when that time comes, celibacy becomes permissible."

If you ask: Why were the "righteous" (ṣāliḥīn) specified? I reply: To protect their religion and preserve their righteousness. Also, because righteous slaves are those whom their masters pity and treat like their own children in terms of preference and affection; thus, they are the most likely to be recommended and cared for. As for the corrupt among them, their status with their masters is the opposite. Or, "righteousness" may mean the ability to fulfill the rights of marriage.

One should not forget the condition set by Allah in this promise and its likes, which is His Will (mashī’ah). The Wise does not will except what wisdom dictates and what is in the interest of the servant. Similar to this is: "And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out and provide for him from where he does not expect" (65:3). This condition is explicitly stated in His saying: "And if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you from His bounty, if He wills" (9:28). Whoever keeps this condition in mind will not stand to object by citing a celibate man who was rich and became poor through marriage, or a sinner who repented and feared Allah, yet had some wealth that vanished, leaving him destitute.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Seek provision through marriage." A man complained to him of poverty, and he said: "You must marry." Umar (ra) said: "I am amazed at one who does not seek wealth through marriage." I once knew a man in dire straits; years later, I saw his condition had flourished and improved. I asked him, and he said: "I was as you knew me before I was blessed with a child. When my first child was born, my poverty eased. When the second was born, I increased in goodness. When they reached three, Allah poured goodness upon me, and I became as you see."

{والله واسع} (And Allah is All-Encompassing): Meaning He is Rich, possessing vastness; the enrichment of all creation does not diminish Him. Yet, He is {عليم} (All-Knowing); He expands provision for whom He wills and restricts it.