Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 3206
أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ زُرَارَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يُونُسُ، عَنْ أَبِي مَعْشَرٍ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ، قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَهُوَ عِنْدَ عُثْمَانَ رضى الله عنه فَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى فِتْيَةٍ - قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ فَلَمْ أَفْهَمْ فِتْيَةً كَمَا أَرَدْتُ - فَقَالَ " مَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ ذَا طَوْلٍ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ فَإِنَّهُ أَغَضُّ لِلْبَصَرِ وَأَحْصَنُ لِلْفَرْجِ وَمَنْ لاَ فَالصَّوْمُ لَهُ وِجَاءٌ " .
Amr ibn Zurarah reported to us; he said: Ismail narrated to us; he said: Yunus narrated to us, from Abu Mashar, from Ibrahim, from Alqamah, who said: I was with Ibn Masud while he was with Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him. Uthman said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came out to some young men—Abu Abd al-Rahman said: I did not understand “young men” as I would have liked—and said: ‘Whoever among you has the means should marry, for it is more effective in lowering the gaze and guarding chastity. Whoever cannot, let him fast, for fasting is a restraint for him.’
Translation notes
The phrase ذَا طَوْلٍ refers to having the means to marry. The closing وَجَاءٌ literally evokes castration and is rendered figuratively as restraint.
قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَهُوَ عِنْدَ عُثْمَانَ رضى الله عنه فَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى فِتْيَةٍ - قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ فَلَمْ أَفْهَمْ فِتْيَةً كَمَا أَرَدْتُ - فَقَالَ " مَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ ذَا طَوْلٍ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ فَإِنَّهُ أَغَضُّ لِلْبَصَرِ وَأَحْصَنُ لِلْفَرْجِ وَمَنْ لاَ فَالصَّوْمُ لَهُ وِجَاءٌ " .
The narrator’s parenthetical says he did not understand the word فِتْيَةً as intended; its precise textual or contextual concern is unclear.
Should the parenthetical be understood as uncertainty about the word “young men” in the report?