Is it permissible for me to think that Allaah may be keeping me away from marriage or saving me from it because of harm/hardship that I might face or to think that I cannot handle marriage and that Allaah will not overburden a servant with more than they can handle?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Religious texts commanded the Muslims to get married, and its ruling differs according to the situation of the individual; it may be obligatory in certain situations and prohibited for the person to refrain from it. For more information, please refer to fatwas 84026 and 81853.

Marriage abounds in benefits for this worldly life and the Hereafter. Some scholars listed a number of its benefits; the Maaliki scholar An-Nafraawi wrote:

"It (marriage) has great benefits, the greatest of which is to ward off the evils of (unsatisfied sexual) lust. Secondly, it is the reason for preserving two lives; the first is temporary, namely, the worldly life, through reproducing and increasing the human population, and the second is enduring, namely, the Hereafter through striving to attain the pleasure of Paradise. When one tastes the pleasure of marriage, he hastens to do the good deeds that would lead him to the pleasures of the Hereafter, which are far greater, especially looking at the Face of Allah. Thirdly, doing what pleases Allah and what He intends for His slaves, which is the survival of the human kind until the Day of Judgment. It is also a compliance with the command of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as he said, 'Get married and reproduce, for I will boast of your large numbers in front of other nations (on Judgment Day).' Moreover, it keeps the person's name alive and raises his levels in Paradise on account of his righteous child's supplication for him after his deeds come to an end by his death." [Al-Fawaaqih Ad-Dawaani]

The Muslim should turn to Allah, implore Him to grant him success and cause his endeavors to be fruitful, and he should place his trust in his Lord. Verily, He will never disappoint the one who places his trust in Him. Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, "Allah, the Exalted, says, 'I am as my slave expects me to be, and I am with him when he calls upon Me.'" [Muslim]

There is no doubt that the religious obligation is contingent on the individual's ability to abide by it. However, there is a difference between being financially unable to get married, for example, or the like, and having mere premonitions and negative thoughts about marriage that Satan may use to cause you to deprive you of great benefits. For instance, the person may feel anxious about his future family and children and how he would support them, although Allah, The Exalted, confers upon all His creation their provisions. Allah, The Exalted, says (what means): {And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision, and He knows its place of dwelling and place of storage. All is in a clear register.} [Quran 11:6]

Moreover, marriage itself is a means for attaining richness and wealth. Allah, The Exalted, says (what means): {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.} [Quran 24:32]

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, "There are three who are promised the help of Allah ... and the one who gets married seeking to keep himself chaste." [At-Tirmithi and An-Nasaa'i] Therefore, the Muslim should avail himself of the available means and place his trust in his Lord.

Lastly, we would like to highlight two important points for the Muslim who intends to get married; namely, consulting with trustworthy people, especially regarding the woman whom he seeks to marry, and performing the Istikhaarah (guidance-seeking) prayer through which one asks Allah to choose for him what is best. Please refer to fatwa 81434 about the Istikhaarah.

Allah knows best.