It is narrated from Dawud that it is obligatory once in a lifetime due to the verse and the report. Our evidence is that when Allah Almighty commanded it, He conditioned it upon willingness (istitabah), by His saying (Exalted be He): "Marry those that please you of women." The obligatory is not conditioned upon willingness. He also said: "Two or three or four." This is not obligatory by consensus, which proves (11) that the intended meaning of the command is recommendation (nadb); likewise, the report is interpreted as being a recommendation, or as applying to one who fears falling into a forbidden act by abandoning marriage. Al-Qadi said: "It is upon this that the statement of Ahmad and Abu Bakr regarding the obligation of marriage is interpreted."

Section: People are categorized into three types regarding marriage. Among them is one who fears falling into a forbidden act (12) if he abandons marriage; for this person, marriage is obligatory according to the consensus of jurists, because it is incumbent upon him to preserve his chastity and safeguard himself from the forbidden, and the path to that is marriage. The second type is one for whom it is recommended, which is he who possesses desire but is safe from falling into a forbidden act; for this person, occupying oneself with marriage (13) is better than isolating oneself for voluntary worship. This is the position of the Scholars of Opinion (Ashab al-Ra'y), and it is the manifest position and practice of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). Ibn Mas'ud said: "If I only had ten days left of my life, and I knew that I would die on the last of them, and I had the means for marriage within them, I would marry for fear of temptation (fitna)." Ibn Abbas said to Sa'id ibn Jubayr: "Marry, for the best of this nation are those with the most wives." Ibrahim ibn Maysarah said: "Tawus said to me: 'You must marry, or I will surely say to you what Umar said to Abu al-Zawa'id: "Nothing prevents you from marriage except incapacity or immorality."" Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the narration of al-Marrudhi: "Celibacy is not part of the affairs of Islam in any respect." He also said: "Whoever calls you to anything other than marriage, he has called you to something other than Islam, and if a human were to marry, his affair would be complete." Al-Shafi'i said: "Isolation for the worship of Allah Almighty..."