Will Allaah make you rich if you get married?
And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty, and Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.
[Qur'aan 24:32]
The majority of scholars of tafsiir hold the opinion that Allaah has promised to enrich those who are poor and intend to get married.
It has been attributed to Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with both of them) that he said: Allaah ordered to get married and exhorted in regards to it. And He ordered them to marry their free women and slaves. And He promised them richness in regards to that.
It has been attributed to Ibn Mas'uud that he said: Seek richness through marriage.
This opinion, which the majority of scholars of tafsiir hold, is strengthened by the following hadiith:
Narrated Abu Hurairah:
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "There are three who are promised the help of Allah:
The Mukaatab* who wants to buy his freedom,
the one who gets married seeking to keep himself chaste,
and the Mujaahid who fights in the cause of Allah."
[Sunan al-Nasaa'i Hadith No. 3218]
*Mukaatab: the slave who has made a contract of manumission.
The second opinion is that the richness promised in this Verse does not have to do with the richness of wealth. Rather, it has to do with the richness of the self. It refers to contentment.
This richness of the self is better than the richness of wealth as can be seen in the following hadiith:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "Riches does not mean, having a great amount of property, but riches is self contentment."
[Sahih al-Bukhaari Hadith No. 6446]
The richness of wealth is not as good as the richness of the self [i.e. self contentment]
Another opinion is that the Verse does not refer to the richness of wealth. Allaah will help a person who seeks to keep himself safe from Zinaa through marriage.
If a person is poor and in need to marriage so that he can keep himself safe from Zinaa, Allaah will enrich him by means of the halaal option of marriage so that he may stay away from Zinaa.
The fourth opinion is that the Verse is conditional.
It is based on the Will of Allaah.
Allaah will enrich whom He wills, and He will not enrich whom He chooses not to. This is the condition even though it is not mentioned explicitly in the Verse. Rather, it is known and understood. The like of this has been mentioned in another Verse where Allaah says:
And if you fear privation, Allah will enrich you from His bounty if He wills
[Qur'aan 9:26]
And in the following Verse:
Allah extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]. And they rejoice in the worldly life, while the worldly life is not, compared to the Hereafter, except [brief] enjoyment.
[Qur'aan 13:26]
And in the following Verse:
No, it is Him [alone] you would invoke, and He would remove that for which you invoked Him if He willed, and you would forget what you associate [with Him].
[Qur'aan 6:41]
al-Shawkaani says:
Allaah has exhorted us to get married and know that it is the cause of getting rid of poverty. It is not necessary that every poor person will attain this when he gets married. Rather, it is dependant upon the Will of Allaah. There are poor people who got married and they did not attain richness. And it has been said that the Verse means: He will enrich you in regards to your self [i.e. contentment]. And it is said the meaning is that: If you are in need of marriage Allaah will enrich you from His Grace by means of halaal [i.e. getting married] so that you will be able to safeguard against Zinaa. The first opinion is the strongest and evidence for it can be found in the following:
And if you fear privation, Allah will enrich you from His bounty if He wills
[Qur'aan 9:26]
The unrestricted will be understood in terms of the restricted here [i.e. it is dependant on the Will of Allaah].
Some scholars have said it is the same if the richness mentioned in the Verse is that of wealth or self because it is not mentioned in the Verse that this richness will remain present at all times. Rather, when it is attained even for a brief period of time, the promise of the Verse will have come to be.
al-Qurtubi says:
If it is asked: We have found those who have gotten married to remain poor [i.e. not get rich]. We will answer: It is not necessary that this state of richness be perpetual. Rather, if it takes place for even one moment, the promise has come true.
Ibn al-Qayyim holds the opinion that the richness in this Verse is not for everyone who gets married. It is a promise only for those mentioned in the Verse, namely the women and slaves. They will be made rich. As for the women, they become rich because of the husbands' spending on them. As for the slave, Allaah will enrich him by giving him work or by his master spending on him.