‘Alqamah said “I was going with ‘Abd Allah bin Mas’ud at Mina where ‘Uthman met him and desired to have a talk with him in privacy”. When ‘Abd Allah (bin Mas’ud) thought there was no need of privacy, he said to me “Come, ‘Alqamah So I came (to him)”. Then ‘Uthman said to him “Should we not marry you, Abu ‘Abd Al Rahman to a virgin girl, so that the power you have lost may return to you?” ‘Abd Allah (bin Mas’ud) said “If you say that , I heard the Apostle of Allah ﷺ say “ Those of you who can support a wife, should marry, for it keeps you from looking at strange women and preserve from unlawful intercourse, but those who cannot should devote themselves to fasting, for it is a means of suppressing sexual desire.

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ، قَالَ إِنِّي لأَمْشِي مَعَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ بِمِنًى إِذْ لَقِيَهُ عُثْمَانُ فَاسْتَخْلاَهُ فَلَمَّا رَأَى عَبْدُ اللَّهِ أَنْ لَيْسَتْ لَهُ حَاجَةٌ قَالَ لِي تَعَالَ يَا عَلْقَمَةُ فَجِئْتُ فَقَالَ لَهُ عُثْمَانُ أَلاَ نُزَوِّجُكَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بِجَارِيَةٍ بِكْرٍ لَعَلَّهُ يَرْجِعُ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ مَا كُنْتَ تَعْهَدُ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ لَئِنْ قُلْتَ ذَاكَ لَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ " مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمُ الْبَاءَةَ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ فَإِنَّهُ أَغَضُّ لِلْبَصَرِ وَأَحْصَنُ لِلْفَرْجِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ مِنْكُمْ فَعَلَيْهِ بِالصَّوْمِ فَإِنَّهُ لَهُ وِجَاءٌ " .