Youth is characterized by a flaming sexual desire and attraction to the opposite sex. Without the safeguard of legitimate marriage, one might resort to forbidden actions. This inclination can increase or decrease depending on the environment—whether conservative or loose—and one's level of religious commitment. However, bachelorhood remains a significant danger for youth, especially amid the temptations brought about by modern communication revolutions. These have breached walls, bypassed norms, created cultural patterns opposing our religion and values, and fostered sexual madness and unimaginable practices. In recent years, Arab youth have shown increasing interest in sex, searching for it on social media or storing related files on their phones, highlighting that sex is a pressing concern in their lives. This obsession might lead some down a path of sexual deviation in various forms, causing destructive effects on both individuals and society.
The Lesser Sin and the Greater Crime
Due to the decline in marriage rates in most Arab countries—for reasons we will discuss later—many youths resort to what they call the “lesser sin,” which is sex via the internet or “virtual sex,” as an accessible alternative to marriage. This ranges from chatting and forming relationships, which may transition from virtual to real, to virtual sexual relationships that might also become real. Those who fall into this sin often continue watching pornography, which causes psychological, behavioral, and physical harm, as well as societal damage. Watching such content is like drinking seawater—the more one drinks, the thirstier they become. These individuals also frequently engage in “masturbation,” which, if practiced excessively, leads to physical blockages, microbe transmission, potential failure to perform sexually upon marriage, as well as phobia, anxiety, depression, lack of concentration, self-loathing, and more. Among the challenges facing Arab youth are falling into obscenity and sexual deviations, or what they call the “greater crime,” with its means more accessible in the last two decades than ever before.
Sexual Deviance
Under the force of sexual drive and inability to marry, illicit relationships become common, leading to unusual forms of marriage contracts aimed at legitimizing adultery and evading religious prohibitions. Youth turn to deviant alternatives to satisfy their sexual hunger, resulting in psychological and nervous disorders, and increased social decay, leading to the lack of a partner and instability.
In the Arab world, sexual crimes have risen significantly, becoming notable in public security records. Practices previously confined to the West are now heard of in our region. Surprisingly, studies in traditionally conservative Arab countries now warn of widespread deviance among teenage girls in schools and clubs, alerting to the emergence of even more harmful phenomena like homosexuality, fetishism, and pathological nymphomania, all influenced by Western deviant films available online. These issues result in crimes such as murder, rape, sadistic behaviors, and sexually transmitted diseases that threaten the future of youth and destroy their lives.
Marriage: Our Law and those Before Us
Allah, the All-Knowing, the Most Wise, prescribed marriage for His creation, making it a law for us and those before us among the prophets and messengers. Marriage is a worship for which a Muslim is rewarded: “There are three whom it is right for God to help:The slave whose master has agreed to let him buy his freedom when he wishes to pay the sum, the one who marries desiring to live a chaste life, and the one who fights in God’s path.” (At-Tirmidhi) Through marriage, one fulfills their desires, protects their private parts, lowers their gaze, and safeguards their honor, serving as a shield against psychological illnesses. A society with prevalent marriage is a healthy, strong, and supportive society. Marriage prevents sexual chaos, protects society from destructive diseases, and ensures the well-being of future generations.
Through marriage, Islam closes all paths leading to sexual deviation, commanding the lowering of the gaze and guarding of private parts, warning and threatening against fornication, and punishing those who engage in the actions of the people of Lot—extending to all forms of modern deviance practiced outside the bounds of lawful marriage. Allah says, “Do you approach males among the worlds and leave what your Lord has created for you as mates? But you are a people transgressing.” (Ash-Shu'ara: 165-166) The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: “If you find anyone doing as Lot’s people did, kill the one who does it and the one to whom it is done.” (Abu Dawood)
Declining Marriage Rates in Arab Countries
Despite the sexual challenges faced by Arab youth, which necessitate swift action to marry them off, there has been a significant decline in marriage contracts across the region. This decline is due to economic crises, rising poverty rates, unemployment, and decreasing wages, as seen in Egypt, or due to high dowries, rising marriage costs, and the housing crisis, as in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. As a result, marriage has become a heavy financial burden that only those who can afford loans can bear. However, borrowing is a struggle only understood by those who have experienced it, causing many to abstain from marriage.
A study by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Justice revealed that 65% of marriage obstacles are due to high dowries, leading to increased marriages between Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis and higher rates of moral and occupational deviation. When official bodies intervened by increasing marriage loans and aid, dowries and marriage costs rose in response. Civil society organizations have tried to address this issue through collective weddings, but the efforts have been insufficient against the sharp rise in marriage costs.
Spinsterhood and Divorce Complete the Tragedy
The failure of marriage projects has caused unprecedented spinsterhood rates in Arab countries, with adverse effects on society as a whole. Gulf countries have seen significant increases in recent years, with rates reaching 70% in the UAE and 45% in Saudi Arabia, expected to rise further due to economic conditions and changing social structures. Similarly, divorce rates have notably risen, nearing half of all marriages in some countries (48% in Kuwait, 37% in Qatar), primarily due to financial constraints and burdensome material demands, including repaying loans and marriage aid spent on extravagant wedding ceremonies and engagement gifts. Consequently, young people avoid marriage out of fear of financial burdens, turning to trivial pursuits such as buying cars and mobile phones, spending hours in cafes, or resorting to drugs and alcohol.
Another worsening phenomenon is the “cheap woman,” where some women offer themselves for inequitable marriages, fearing the label of “spinster.”
Make Marriage Easier
It has become clear that the welfare of the nation depends on easing the process of youth marriage, protecting them from ruin, and seeking the pleasure of Allah, who made marriage a means of safeguarding private parts and preserving honor. Marriage also serves as a way for Muslims to form bonds, extending relationships and fostering love and kinship among them. It provides children, who are the adornment and delight of this world, and opens the doors to wealth and sustenance. Governments have a responsibility to assist young people in marriage, as instructed by Sharia, and families must ease the financial burdens associated with it, for blessings are found in those with lesser expenses. Society should return to consumption patterns that differ from the wasteful ones that have invaded and ruined our homes. The youth themselves bear a significant part of the responsibility; if they desire to avoid the temptations of sinful attractions, they should strive earnestly for marriage and commit to good deeds while avoiding evil. For those who seek chastity, Allah will grant it to them.
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