As-salamu alaykum - Parents Who Delay Nikkah Are Being Unfair

As-salamu alaykum. How is this fair? Some parents refuse to allow their children to have nikkah at an appropriate time. In a society where mixing is common and interactions are freer, completely shutting down the possibility of marriage feels like real oppression. I’m reminded of stories from the Seerah, like the father of Abu Jandal (ra) who kept him from living his faith properly - preventing someone from practicing Islam or joining good company is a serious wrong. Now, I’m not saying nikkah should be rushed for mere desire. There are sensible steps to take - checking compatibility, ensuring commitment, avoiding hasty decisions. Those things should be taken seriously and facilitated, not used as excuses to close the door completely. But refusing marriage outright, when a person is of marriageable age and responsible (mukallaf), is inconsistent: you accept they’re accountable before Allah, yet deny them a lawful means to fulfill natural needs and protect themselves from sin. That feels oppressive. I also want to note a pattern: rejecting early nikkah for rigid social reasons can echo other ideologies that tell young people to deny their natural feelings and bodies. It’s an inversion of the right approach - instead of guiding and enabling lawful outlets like marriage, some messages push people to suppress or mistrust their legitimate experiences. I won’t go on too long, but I think of examples from the Sahabah like Amr ibn al-‘Aas (ra) and others who understood the wisdom of facilitating marriage. Especially when material circumstances aren’t dire, unnecessarily postponing nikkah becomes a form of harm. Brothers and sisters, we should be cautious about adopting norms from a society that normalizes fornication. If we follow the same unwritten rules, we become participants in what Islam forbids. Parents and communities should help make halal options like nikkah accessible and supported, rather than closing them off.