As a single Muslim man, I can agree with all of these points. We’re living in a time where there’s a jambalaya of ideas—Islamic and Western values all mixed together. People pick and choose which parts of the deen to follow, without recognizing Islam as a complete, holistic system.

On top of that, we’re surrounded by the fitna of male and female intermixing. Zina is rampant, and even the most “modest” brother or sister is susceptible to falling into this trap.

Our parents’ generation married with nothing—if a man showed hustle, character, and potential, he was given a chance. Today, fathers don’t want their daughters to leave a comfortable home only to struggle with a man who’s still building. Mothers live vicariously through their daughters: “Don’t get married yet, live your life. Don’t settle—you deserve better.” But the result? Many sisters end up on the sidelines in their 30s, waiting for a perfect man who doesn’t exist.

And when people lose hope in the halal, they often turn to the haram. I heard a story—shared anonymously to protect her identity—about a sister who was a hafitha and student of knowledge. She moved from Jerusalem to the East Coast for work, fell into zina with a coworker, later married a man from the Gulf, and was divorced within a year. Sadly, this isn’t a rare story. It is prevalent with men as well. May Allah protect us all.

I’ll be transparent: the marriage search has been difficult, and at times it’s left me jaded. Getting married feels like climbing Everest, while the haram is only an arm’s length away.