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A thread on Polygamy and why it is allowed in Islam.
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Much controversy surrounds the issue of polygamy and why Islam permits it and whether it is actually encouraged in Islam or simply a permissible exception.
Islam does not encourage polygamy, it allows it for specific reasons. (2)
Islam does not encourage polygamy, it allows it for specific reasons. (2)
The verses in the Holy Qur’an which address polygamy are often taken out of context and with disregard for the historical situation at the time in which these verses were revealed. (2)
{And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four. But if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one.} (Chapter 4, verse 3) (3)
These verses were revealed after the Battle of Uhud, in which many Muslim men were killed, leaving widows and orphans. Thus, these verses have been revealed to protect the women and orphans who were left without husbands and fathers to provide for them. (4)
Their men had died in battle. Permission to marry more than one woman was the solution to a social problem at the time, because in their society women depended largely on men for economic survival. A widow’s orphan children may have property in their name that could be stolen.(5)
Islam allowed the marriage of no more than four wives, and this permission was given only if the husband could treat each wife fairly and justly. It is stated in the verse that being content with one wife is the closest way to justice. (6)
If a man fears that he will be unable to treat each wife equally if he marries more than one, then he must be content with one wife and it is forbidden for him to marry more than one in that case. (7)
In order for a man to be permitted to have more than one wife, he should treat his wives equally in terms of spending, clothing, living conditions, and even the gifts he gives them. He must also allot equal time and attention to each of his wives. (8)
So, in Islam, the marriage to another wife demands more responsibility on the husband towards his wife. It is not merely serving the man’s desires for physical pleasure.(9)
In a Hadith recorded in Ibn Majah, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says, “A man who has two wives and who is completely inclined to one and who ignores the other emerges with one side of his body paralyzed in the Day of Judgment.” (10)
Marriage is no light matter in Islam and it comes with duties and responsibilities. In some cultures, people are repulsed by the concept of polygamy, yet having mistresses and extra-marital affairs are becoming so rampant in their societies. (11)
