Saturday 23 November 2013
Wednesday 16 October 2013
polygamy allowed in Islam?
Answer:
1. Definition of Polygamy
Polygamy means a system of marriage whereby one person has more than one
spouse. Polygamy can be of two types. One is polygyny where a man marries
more than one woman, and the other is polyandry, where a woman marries
more than one man. In Islam, limited polygyny is permitted; whereas polyandry
is completely prohibited.
Now coming to the original question, why is a man allowed to have more than
one wife?
2. The Qur’an is the only religious scripture in the world that says,
“marry only one”.
The Qur’an is the only religious book, on the face of this earth, that contains the
phrase ‘marry only one’. There is no other religious book that instructs men to
have only one wife. In none of the other religious scriptures, whether it be the
Vedas, the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, the Geeta, the Talmud or the Bible does
one find a restriction on the number of wives. According to these scriptures one
can marry as many as one wishes. It was only later, that the Hindu priests and
the Christian Church restricted the number of wives to one.
Many Hindu religious personalities, according to their scriptures, had multiple
wives. King Dashrat, the father of Rama, had more than one wife. Krishna had
several wives.
In earlier times, Christian men were permitted as many wives as they wished,
since the Bible puts no restriction on the number of wives. It was only a few
centuries ago that the Church restricted the number of wives to one.
Polygyny is permitted in Judaism. According to Talmudic law, Abraham had
three wives, and Solomon had hundreds of wives. The practice of polygyny
continued till Rabbi Gershom ben Yehudah (960 C.E to 1030 C.E) issued an
edict against it. The Jewish Sephardic communities living in Muslim countries
continued the practice till as late as 1950, until an Act of the Chief Rabbinate of
Israel extended the ban on marrying more than one wife.
(*Interesting Note:- As per the 1975 census of India Hindus are more
polygynous than Muslims. The report of the ‘Committee of The Status of
Woman in Islam’, published in 1975 mentions on page numbers 66 and 67 that
the percentage of polygamous marriages between the years 1951 and 1961
ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION
was 5.06% among the Hindus and only 4.31% among the Muslims. According
to Indian law only Muslim men are permitted to have more than one wife. It is
illegal for any non-Muslim in India to have more than one wife. Despite it being
illegal, Hindus have more multiple wives as compared to Muslims. Earlier, there
was no restriction even on Hindu men with respect to the number of wives
allowed. It was only in 1954, when the Hindu Marriage Act was passed that it
became illegal for a Hindu to have more than one wife. At present it is the Indian
Law that restricts a Hindu man from having more than one wife and not the
Hindu scriptures.)
Let us now analyse why Islam allows a man to have more than one wife.
3. Qur’an permits limited polygyny
As I mentioned earlier, Qur’an is the only religious book on the face of the earth
that says ‘marry only one’. The context of this phrase is the following verse from
Surah Nisa of the Glorious Qur’an:
“Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that
ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one.”
[Al-Qur’an 4:3]
Before the Qur’an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygyny and
many men had scores of wives, some even hundreds. Islam put an upper limit
of four wives. Islam gives a man permission to marry two, three or four women,
only on the condition that he deals justly with them.
In the same chapter i.e. Surah Nisa verse 129 says:
“Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women....”
[Al-Qur’an 4:129]
Therefore polygyny is not a rule but an exception. Many people are under the
misconception that it is compulsory for a Muslim man to have more than one wife.
Broadly, Islam has five categories of Do’s and Don’ts:
(i) ‘Fard’ i.e. compulsory or obligatory
(ii) ‘Mustahab’ i.e. recommended or encouraged
(iii) ‘Mubah’ i.e. permissible or allowed
(iv) ‘Makruh’ i.e. not recommended or discouraged
(v) ‘Haraam’ i.e. prohibited or forbidden
Polygyny falls in the middle category of things that are permissible. It cannot be
said that a Muslim who has two, three or four wives is a better Muslim as
compared to a Muslim who has only one wife.
ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION
4. Average life span of females is more than that of males
By nature males and females are born in approximately the same ratio. A
female child has more immunity than a male child. A female child can fight the
germs and diseases better than the male child. For this reason, during the
pediatric age itself there are more deaths among males as compared to the
females.
During wars, there are more men killed as compared to women. More men die
due to accidents and diseases than women. The average life span of females
is more than that of males, and at any given time one finds more widows in the
world than widowers.
5. India has more male population than female due to female
foeticide and infanticide
India is one of the few countries, along with the other neighbouring countries, in
which the female population is less than the male population. The reason lies in
the high rate of female infanticide in India, and the fact that more than one
million female foetuses are aborted every year in this country, after they are
identified as females. If this evil practice is stopped, then India too will have
more females as compared to males.
6. World female population is more than male population
In the USA, women outnumber men by 7.8 million. New York alone has one
million more females as compared to the number of males, and of the male
population of New York one-third are gays i.e sodomites. The U.S.A as a whole
has more than twenty-five million gays. This means that these people do not
wish to marry women. Great Britain has four million more females as compared
to males. Germany has five million more females as compared to males. Russia
has nine million more females than males. God alone knows how many million
more females there are in the whole world as compared to males.
7. Restricting each and every man to have only one wife is not
practical
Even if every man got married to one woman, there would still be more than
thirty million females in U.S.A who would not be able to get husbands
(considering that America has twenty five million gays). There would be more
than four million females in Great Britain, 5 million females in Germany and nine
million females in Russia alone who would not be able to find a husband.
Suppose my sister happens to be one of the unmarried women living in USA, or
suppose your sister happens to be one of the unmarried women in USA. The
only two options remaining for her are that she either marries a man who
already has a wife or becomes 'public property'. There is no other option. All
those who are modest will opt for the first.
ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION
For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net
Most women would nto like to share their husband with other women. But in
Islam when the situation deems it really neccessary Muslim women in due faith
could bear a small personal loss to prevent a greater loss of letting other Muslim
sisters becoming 'public properties'.
8. Marring a married man preferable to becoming 'public property'
In Western society, it is common for a man to have mistresses and/or multiple
extra-marital affairs, in which case, the woman leads a disgraceful, unprotected
life. The same society, however, cannot accept a man having more than one
wife, in which women retain their honourable, dignified position in society and
lead a protected life.
Thus the only two options before a woman who cannot find a husband is to
marry a married man or to become 'public property'. Islam prefers giving
women the honourable position by permitting the first option and disallowing the
second.
There are several other reasons, why Islam has permitted limited polygyny, but
it is mainly to protect the modesty of women.
polygamy allowed in Islam?
Answer:
1. Definition of Polygamy
Polygamy means a system of marriage whereby one person has more than one
spouse. Polygamy can be of two types. One is polygyny where a man marries
more than one woman, and the other is polyandry, where a woman marries
more than one man. In Islam, limited polygyny is permitted; whereas polyandry
is completely prohibited.
Now coming to the original question, why is a man allowed to have more than
one wife?
2. The Qur’an is the only religious scripture in the world that says,
“marry only one”.
The Qur’an is the only religious book, on the face of this earth, that contains the
phrase ‘marry only one’. There is no other religious book that instructs men to
have only one wife. In none of the other religious scriptures, whether it be the
Vedas, the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, the Geeta, the Talmud or the Bible does
one find a restriction on the number of wives. According to these scriptures one
can marry as many as one wishes. It was only later, that the Hindu priests and
the Christian Church restricted the number of wives to one.
Many Hindu religious personalities, according to their scriptures, had multiple
wives. King Dashrat, the father of Rama, had more than one wife. Krishna had
several wives.
In earlier times, Christian men were permitted as many wives as they wished,
since the Bible puts no restriction on the number of wives. It was only a few
centuries ago that the Church restricted the number of wives to one.
Polygyny is permitted in Judaism. According to Talmudic law, Abraham had
three wives, and Solomon had hundreds of wives. The practice of polygyny
continued till Rabbi Gershom ben Yehudah (960 C.E to 1030 C.E) issued an
edict against it. The Jewish Sephardic communities living in Muslim countries
continued the practice till as late as 1950, until an Act of the Chief Rabbinate of
Israel extended the ban on marrying more than one wife.
(*Interesting Note:- As per the 1975 census of India Hindus are more
polygynous than Muslims. The report of the ‘Committee of The Status of
Woman in Islam’, published in 1975 mentions on page numbers 66 and 67 that
the percentage of polygamous marriages between the years 1951 and 1961
ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION
was 5.06% among the Hindus and only 4.31% among the Muslims. According
to Indian law only Muslim men are permitted to have more than one wife. It is
illegal for any non-Muslim in India to have more than one wife. Despite it being
illegal, Hindus have more multiple wives as compared to Muslims. Earlier, there
was no restriction even on Hindu men with respect to the number of wives
allowed. It was only in 1954, when the Hindu Marriage Act was passed that it
became illegal for a Hindu to have more than one wife. At present it is the Indian
Law that restricts a Hindu man from having more than one wife and not the
Hindu scriptures.)
Let us now analyse why Islam allows a man to have more than one wife.
3. Qur’an permits limited polygyny
As I mentioned earlier, Qur’an is the only religious book on the face of the earth
that says ‘marry only one’. The context of this phrase is the following verse from
Surah Nisa of the Glorious Qur’an:
“Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that
ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one.”
[Al-Qur’an 4:3]
Before the Qur’an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygyny and
many men had scores of wives, some even hundreds. Islam put an upper limit
of four wives. Islam gives a man permission to marry two, three or four women,
only on the condition that he deals justly with them.
In the same chapter i.e. Surah Nisa verse 129 says:
“Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women....”
[Al-Qur’an 4:129]
Therefore polygyny is not a rule but an exception. Many people are under the
misconception that it is compulsory for a Muslim man to have more than one wife.
Broadly, Islam has five categories of Do’s and Don’ts:
(i) ‘Fard’ i.e. compulsory or obligatory
(ii) ‘Mustahab’ i.e. recommended or encouraged
(iii) ‘Mubah’ i.e. permissible or allowed
(iv) ‘Makruh’ i.e. not recommended or discouraged
(v) ‘Haraam’ i.e. prohibited or forbidden
Polygyny falls in the middle category of things that are permissible. It cannot be
said that a Muslim who has two, three or four wives is a better Muslim as
compared to a Muslim who has only one wife.
ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION
4. Average life span of females is more than that of males
By nature males and females are born in approximately the same ratio. A
female child has more immunity than a male child. A female child can fight the
germs and diseases better than the male child. For this reason, during the
pediatric age itself there are more deaths among males as compared to the
females.
During wars, there are more men killed as compared to women. More men die
due to accidents and diseases than women. The average life span of females
is more than that of males, and at any given time one finds more widows in the
world than widowers.
5. India has more male population than female due to female
foeticide and infanticide
India is one of the few countries, along with the other neighbouring countries, in
which the female population is less than the male population. The reason lies in
the high rate of female infanticide in India, and the fact that more than one
million female foetuses are aborted every year in this country, after they are
identified as females. If this evil practice is stopped, then India too will have
more females as compared to males.
6. World female population is more than male population
In the USA, women outnumber men by 7.8 million. New York alone has one
million more females as compared to the number of males, and of the male
population of New York one-third are gays i.e sodomites. The U.S.A as a whole
has more than twenty-five million gays. This means that these people do not
wish to marry women. Great Britain has four million more females as compared
to males. Germany has five million more females as compared to males. Russia
has nine million more females than males. God alone knows how many million
more females there are in the whole world as compared to males.
7. Restricting each and every man to have only one wife is not
practical
Even if every man got married to one woman, there would still be more than
thirty million females in U.S.A who would not be able to get husbands
(considering that America has twenty five million gays). There would be more
than four million females in Great Britain, 5 million females in Germany and nine
million females in Russia alone who would not be able to find a husband.
Suppose my sister happens to be one of the unmarried women living in USA, or
suppose your sister happens to be one of the unmarried women in USA. The
only two options remaining for her are that she either marries a man who
already has a wife or becomes 'public property'. There is no other option. All
those who are modest will opt for the first.
ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION
For more Queries contact: webmaster@irf.net
Most women would nto like to share their husband with other women. But in
Islam when the situation deems it really neccessary Muslim women in due faith
could bear a small personal loss to prevent a greater loss of letting other Muslim
sisters becoming 'public properties'.
8. Marring a married man preferable to becoming 'public property'
In Western society, it is common for a man to have mistresses and/or multiple
extra-marital affairs, in which case, the woman leads a disgraceful, unprotected
life. The same society, however, cannot accept a man having more than one
wife, in which women retain their honourable, dignified position in society and
lead a protected life.
Thus the only two options before a woman who cannot find a husband is to
marry a married man or to become 'public property'. Islam prefers giving
women the honourable position by permitting the first option and disallowing the
second.
There are several other reasons, why Islam has permitted limited polygyny, but
it is mainly to protect the modesty of women.
Belief in God’s Revealed Books:
Muslims believe that God revealed books to His
messengers as proof for mankind and as guidance for them. Among these
books is the Quran, which God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad 
.
God has guaranteed the Quran’s protection from any corruption or
distortion. God has said:
.
God has guaranteed the Quran’s protection from any corruption or
distortion. God has said:
Indeed, We have sent down the
Quran,
and surely We will guard it (from corruption). 
(Quran, 15:9)Belief in the Prophets and Messengers of God:
Muslims believe in the prophets and messengers of
God, starting with Adam, including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses,
and Jesus (peace be upon them). But God’s final message to man, a reconfirmation
of the eternal message, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad .
Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last prophet sent by God, as God has
said:
.
Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last prophet sent by God, as God has
said: Muhammad is not the father of any one
of your men, but he is the Messenger of God and the last of the prophets...
(Quran,
33:40)
Muslims believe that all
the prophets and messengers were created human beings who had none of the divine
qualities of God.
Belief in the Day of Judgment:
Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment (the Day of
Resurrection) when all people will be resurrected for God’s judgment according
to their beliefs and deeds.
Belief in Al-Qadar:
Muslims believe in Al-Qadar, which is
Divine Predestination, but this belief in Divine Predestination does not mean
that human beings do not have freewill. Rather, Muslims believe that God has
given human beings freewill. This means that they can choose right or wrong and
that they are responsible for their choices.
The belief in Divine
Predestination includes belief in four things: 1) God knows everything.
He knows
what has happened and what will happen. 2) God has recorded all that has
happened and all that will happen. 3) Whatever God wills to happen happens, and
whatever He wills not to happen does not happen. 4) God is the Creator of
everything.Belief in God’s Revealed Books:
Muslims believe that God revealed books to His
messengers as proof for mankind and as guidance for them. Among these
books is the Quran, which God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad .
God has guaranteed the Quran’s protection from any corruption or
distortion. God has said:
.
God has guaranteed the Quran’s protection from any corruption or
distortion. God has said: Indeed, We have sent down the
Quran,
and surely We will guard it (from corruption).
(Quran, 15:9)Belief in the Prophets and Messengers of God:
Muslims believe in the prophets and messengers of
God, starting with Adam, including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses,
and Jesus (peace be upon them). But God’s final message to man, a reconfirmation
of the eternal message, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad .
Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last prophet sent by God, as God has
said:
.
Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last prophet sent by God, as God has
said: Muhammad is not the father of any one
of your men, but he is the Messenger of God and the last of the prophets...
(Quran,
33:40)
Muslims believe that all
the prophets and messengers were created human beings who had none of the divine
qualities of God.
Belief in the Day of Judgment:
Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment (the Day of
Resurrection) when all people will be resurrected for God’s judgment according
to their beliefs and deeds.
Belief in Al-Qadar:
Muslims believe in Al-Qadar, which is
Divine Predestination, but this belief in Divine Predestination does not mean
that human beings do not have freewill. Rather, Muslims believe that God has
given human beings freewill. This means that they can choose right or wrong and
that they are responsible for their choices.
The belief in Divine
Predestination includes belief in four things: 1) God knows everything.
He knows
what has happened and what will happen. 2) God has recorded all that has
happened and all that will happen. 3) Whatever God wills to happen happens, and
whatever He wills not to happen does not happen. 4) God is the Creator of
everything.
What Is Islam?
The religion of Islam is the acceptance
of and obedience to the teachings of God
which He revealed to His last prophet,
Muhammad
Belief in God:
Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God,
Who has no son nor partner, and that none has the right to be worshipped but Him
alone. He is the true God, and every other deity is false. He has the most
magnificent names and sublime perfect attributes. No one shares His divinity,
nor His attributes. In the Quran, God describes Himself:
Say,
“He is God, the One. God, to
Whom the creatures turn for their needs. He begets not, nor was He begotten, and
there is none like Him.”
(Quran, 112:1-4)
 |
|
Chapter 112 of the Quran written in Arabic
calligraphy.
|
No one has the right to be invoked, supplicated,
prayed to, or shown any act of worship, but God alone.
God alone is the Almighty, the Creator, the
Sovereign, and the Sustainer of everything in the whole universe. He manages all
affairs. He stands in need of none of His creatures, and all His creatures
depend on Him for all that they need. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, and
the All-Knowing. In a perfect manner, His knowledge encompasses all things, the
open and the secret, and the public and the private. He knows what has happened,
what will happen, and how it will happen.
No affair occurs in the whole world
except by His will. Whatever He wills is, and whatever He does not will is not
and will never be. His will is above the will of all the creatures. He has power
over all things, and He is able to do everything. He is the Most Gracious, the
Most Merciful, and the Most Beneficent. In one of the sayings of the Prophet
Muhammad , we are told that God
is more merciful to His creatures than a mother to her child.1
God is
far removed from injustice and tyranny. He is All-Wise in all of His actions and
decrees. If someone wants something from God, he or she can ask God directly
without asking anyone else to intercede with God for him or her.
, we are told that God
is more merciful to His creatures than a mother to her child.1
God is
far removed from injustice and tyranny. He is All-Wise in all of His actions and
decrees. If someone wants something from God, he or she can ask God directly
without asking anyone else to intercede with God for him or her.
God is not Jesus, and Jesus is not God.2
Even Jesus himself rejected this. God has said in the Quran:
Indeed,
they have disbelieved who have
said, “God is the Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary.” The Messiah said,
“Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever
associates
partners in worship with God, then God has forbidden Paradise for him,
and his
home is the Fire (Hell). For the wrongdoers,3 there will be no helpers.” (Quran, 5:72)
God is not a trinity. God
has said in the Quran:
Indeed, they disbelieve who say,
“God is the third of three (in a trinity),” when there is no god but
one God. If they desist not from what they say, truly, a painful punishment will
befall the disbelievers among them. Would they not rather repent to God and ask
His forgiveness? For God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. The Messiah (Jesus),
son of Mary, was no more than a messenger... (Quran, 5:73-75)
Islam rejects that God
rested on the seventh day of the creation, that He wrestled with one of His
angels, that He is an envious plotter against mankind, or that He is incarnate
in any human being. Islam also rejects the attribution of any human form to God.
All of these are considered blasphemous. God is the Exalted. He is far removed
from every imperfection. He never becomes weary. He does not become drowsy nor
does he sleep.
The Arabic word
Allah means God (the one and only true God who created the whole
universe). This word Allah is a name for God, which is used by Arabic
speakers, both Arab Muslims and Arab Christians. This word cannot be used to
designate anything other than the one true God. The Arabic word Allah
occurs in the Quran about 2700 times. In Aramaic, a language related closely
to Arabic and the language that Jesus habitually spoke,4 God is also referred to as
Allah.
Belief in the Angels:
Muslims believe in the existence of the angels and
that they are honored creatures. The angels worship God alone, obey Him,
and act only by His command. Among the angels is Gabriel, who brought down
the Quran to Muhammad .
.What Is Islam?
The religion of Islam is the acceptance
of and obedience to the teachings of God
which He revealed to His last prophet,
Muhammad
Belief in God:
Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God,
Who has no son nor partner, and that none has the right to be worshipped but Him
alone. He is the true God, and every other deity is false. He has the most
magnificent names and sublime perfect attributes. No one shares His divinity,
nor His attributes. In the Quran, God describes Himself:
Say,
“He is God, the One. God, to
Whom the creatures turn for their needs. He begets not, nor was He begotten, and
there is none like Him.”
(Quran, 112:1-4)|
|
|
Chapter 112 of the Quran written in Arabic
calligraphy.
|
No one has the right to be invoked, supplicated,
prayed to, or shown any act of worship, but God alone.
God alone is the Almighty, the Creator, the
Sovereign, and the Sustainer of everything in the whole universe. He manages all
affairs. He stands in need of none of His creatures, and all His creatures
depend on Him for all that they need. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, and
the All-Knowing. In a perfect manner, His knowledge encompasses all things, the
open and the secret, and the public and the private. He knows what has happened,
what will happen, and how it will happen.
No affair occurs in the whole world
except by His will. Whatever He wills is, and whatever He does not will is not
and will never be. His will is above the will of all the creatures. He has power
over all things, and He is able to do everything. He is the Most Gracious, the
Most Merciful, and the Most Beneficent. In one of the sayings of the Prophet
Muhammad , we are told that God
is more merciful to His creatures than a mother to her child.1
God is
far removed from injustice and tyranny. He is All-Wise in all of His actions and
decrees. If someone wants something from God, he or she can ask God directly
without asking anyone else to intercede with God for him or her.
, we are told that God
is more merciful to His creatures than a mother to her child.1
God is
far removed from injustice and tyranny. He is All-Wise in all of His actions and
decrees. If someone wants something from God, he or she can ask God directly
without asking anyone else to intercede with God for him or her.
God is not Jesus, and Jesus is not God.2
Even Jesus himself rejected this. God has said in the Quran:
Indeed,
they have disbelieved who have
said, “God is the Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary.” The Messiah said,
“Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever
associates
partners in worship with God, then God has forbidden Paradise for him,
and his
home is the Fire (Hell). For the wrongdoers,3 there will be no helpers.” (Quran, 5:72)
God is not a trinity. God
has said in the Quran:
Indeed, they disbelieve who say,
“God is the third of three (in a trinity),” when there is no god but
one God. If they desist not from what they say, truly, a painful punishment will
befall the disbelievers among them. Would they not rather repent to God and ask
His forgiveness? For God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. The Messiah (Jesus),
son of Mary, was no more than a messenger... (Quran, 5:73-75)
Islam rejects that God
rested on the seventh day of the creation, that He wrestled with one of His
angels, that He is an envious plotter against mankind, or that He is incarnate
in any human being. Islam also rejects the attribution of any human form to God.
All of these are considered blasphemous. God is the Exalted. He is far removed
from every imperfection. He never becomes weary. He does not become drowsy nor
does he sleep.
The Arabic word
Allah means God (the one and only true God who created the whole
universe). This word Allah is a name for God, which is used by Arabic
speakers, both Arab Muslims and Arab Christians. This word cannot be used to
designate anything other than the one true God. The Arabic word Allah
occurs in the Quran about 2700 times. In Aramaic, a language related closely
to Arabic and the language that Jesus habitually spoke,4 God is also referred to as
Allah.
Belief in the Angels:
Muslims believe in the existence of the angels and
that they are honored creatures. The angels worship God alone, obey Him,
and act only by His command. Among the angels is Gabriel, who brought down
the Quran to Muhammad .
.
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