Alqamah bin Qais narrates: Once, I and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) were going somewhere in Madinah Munawwarah when we met Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him). He took the hand of Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him). The narrator says: Both of these gentlemen stood up and moved a little to one side. When Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) noticed (after going some distance) that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had no such matter with him that needed to be kept secret, he said:“Alqamah, come forward.”The narrator says: I went to them, and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was saying:“O Abdullah! Should we not get you married to a girl so that she may remind you of the days gone by (of your youth)?”The narrator says, so Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:“If you say this (then let me tell you), in the blessed time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), we were young men. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to us: ‘Whoever among you has the ability to marry, he should get married, for it is more effective in lowering the gaze and guarding the private parts. And whoever among you does not have the ability to marry, he should fast, for it will diminish his desire.’ (The narrator says: The word used in the text of the narration, ‘wija’, means to diminish desire.) (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) In this narration, marriage has been commanded, and the reason for it is the ability to marry, and its cause is lowering the gaze and guarding the private parts. While the second command is: when this reason is not present, then fasting should be observed, and that reason is the inability to marry, and its other cause is to diminish desire.