Can I Stay Single and Live in Solitude?
Answered by Ustada Shazia Ahmad
Question
I have long lost the concept of wanting to marry a man, it is not in my personal desire or dream to get married. Yet whichever article I read condemns my unwillingness to get married. I want to focus on building my iman alone as I am fine with the idea of living alone. I am also puzzled about whether it’s permissible or not to live alone without a mahram as I seek to live alone from my family due to traumatic experiences that are constantly occurring. I want to be able to live in a house on my own, pick myself off my feet, worship my lord alone and live my life in solitude.
Answer
Remaining alone
It is not obligatory to get married, it is sunna. It is also not obligatory to live with someone, you may live alone, as long as you are safe, though there is an element of dislike to it. That being said, protecting yourself from abuse is necessary. I pray that you weigh your decision carefully, and use your time, youth and health to seek correct Islamic knowledge and apply it in your life in devotion, worship, and spreading that knowledge.
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Those in solitude have raced ahead, who are absorbed in the remembrance of Allah. Remembrance has lifted their burdens and they will come on the Day of Resurrection weightless.” [Tirmidhi]
[Ustada] Shazia Ahmad
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.
