WIVES

RATHER THAN
MISTRESSES
(POLYGAMY NECESSITY http://www.sahwah.net

OF THE AGE)
Called for by:
Hamdy Shafiq

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 DEDICATION
To my beloved father who has devotedly given me and
taught me a great deal, and, for whom I supplicate Allah to
bless his life and reward him as dearly as he has done me.

The Author
PREFACE Omar, who was Ghafra's slave, narrated, "Jews, upon seeing
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) marrying a great
Polygamy is a practice that has been heavily, frenziedly and deal of women, said: Look at this man who never eats his
ceaselessly assailed by orientalists to call great Islam into full, and who, we swear by God, is keenly interested in
serious questions and malign its honest messenger women". They seem to have cast covetous eyes on, and
Muhammad. found fault with, Prophet Muhammad for his polygamous
practice. So covetous they were that they said, may Allah
Polygamy was verbally attacked as early as the era of curse them, "If he were really a prophet, he would not be so
Prophet Muhammad himself, when Jews attempted to cast eagerly interested in women". Huyay son of Akhtab, a
doubts on the validity of the system. leading Jew, was the one who most criticized the prophet.

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However, Allah - exalted be He - belying them, told them members of the entire sweeping Islamic trend, have
about His grace and amplitude of means which He has managed to nip in the bud the attempted barring of
endowed His prophet with. Marking the occasion, Allah has polygamy. (Unfortunately, Jihan did later succeed in having
revealed to His prophet the verse reading, "Or do they envy
mankind for what Allah has given them out of His
a certain law passed, which regarded polygamy as in itself
bounty?”1, referring to His prophet Muhammad. The same posing harm to the first wife, thus empowering a first wife to
verse goes to say further "But We had already given the bring a lawsuit for divorce. In the wake of President Sadat's
people of Abraham the Book and Wisdom, and conferred murder, with his widow having almost no influence to
upon them a great Kingdom", obviously referring to what wield, this law article has later been rescinded.
Allah - exalted be He - has conferred upon David and
Solomon (peace be upon them both) of wives and female
slaves: each one of them had married more than Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was to have later.2 Nevertheless, media have persistently been having a bad
press of polygamy, though permissible in the Shari'ah. As
media have been ridiculously depicting polygamists, as
exhibited by vile, low-quality films and TV serials, they
have, at the same time, been alluring enormities as a matter
Throughout ages, foes of this religion, inside and outside of jocularity. A secular woman has even appeared on an
alike, have been attempting to discredit the principle of international television station lately to assail polygamy as
polygamy, with their ultimate goal as being to plunge introduced by Islam.
deeply into skepticism the Holy Quran, the Shari'ah and
Prophet Muhammad himself. Some others have been so insolent and perverse to have
published in a Cairo-based weekly newspaper a set of serial
A Muslim country has carried matters to such an articles under the title of "polygamy is haram" - or polygamy
exaggerative degree that it has introduced a toughened-up is not permitted by religion. So simply an obscure ignorant
anti-polygamy law on the model of Western nations. attempt, with a foolish and insane stroke of the pen, to
suspend the application of confirmed texts of the Holy
Quran and Sunna (Traditions of the Prophet).
In Egypt, Jihan, the wife of late president Anwar El-Sadat,
has one day attempted a similar ban on polygamy, but
well-grounded ulema (religious scholars) of Al-Azhar, and Public opinion in Muslim nations has even been so led
astray that women in Egypt's rural areas have been
1 The surah of "Al-Nisaa". or women, verse 54.
circulating a common saying about a man planning to keep
another wife to the effect that they would rather proceed in
2 The Generations of the Prophet's Companions, volume 8, page 233. his funeral than proceed in his marriage ceremony.

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These reasons, and others, have prompted me to write this
Chapter One
book, which I regard as only a modest attempt at rectifying
fallacious notions and straightening out matters - and it is
PRE-ISLAM POLYGAMY
Allah alone whose assistance can be sought in the face of all It is not Islam that has ushered in polygamy. As historically
such blasphemy. confirmed, polygamy has been known since ancient times - a
phenomenon as old as mankind itself With polygamy
having been a commonplace practice since Paranoiac times,
Ramses II - Pharaohs' most celebrated King (reigned
1292-1225B.C.)- Kept eight wives, and scores of concubines
and female slaves who gave him more than one hundred
and fifty sons and daughters. Temple walls, with the names
of wives, concubines and children inscribed on them, stand
vividly in witness of the practice. Beautiful Queen Neferteri
was the most celebrated of Ramses II's wives, followed in
rank and order by Queen Asiya Nefer otherwise known as
Isis Nefer, who bore him his son King Merenbetah.
Merenbetah was to ascend to the throne later following the
death of his father and elder brothers.

History books give an account of Moses' Pharaoh as having

kept several wives, including Asiya (May Allah be pleased
with her), who was his female cousin too. Having failed to
give him any children, she held Moses to her bosom when
her maids picked him up from a box floating in the Nile
River. The Holy Quran relates her story in the surah
(chapter) of the "Narration" as follows, "(Here is) a joy of the
eye, for me and for you: do not slay him. It may be that he
will be of use to us, or we may adopt him as a son".3

3 The surah of "Al-Qasas", or Narration, verse 9.

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Polygamy was not less commonplace during Abraham's era Enamoured of the wife of one of his military commanders,
than it had been in ancient Pharaonic times. Hajar, Prophet Prophet Dawud is falsely claimed to have sent him to his
Abraham's second wife, gave birth to Ishmael, who would death at the battlefront and married his widow.
have been slain, and who is the forefather of all Arabs. His
first wife Sarah gave Prophet Abraham Ishaq. (Peace be Having been as despicable as such, the lie has been
upon them all). vehemently dismissed as absolutely ungrounded by major
interpreters of the Holy Quran, including Ibn Katheer.
Imam Ibn Katheer has further branded the purported
Prophet Yaaqub (Jacob) kept two sister wives, who were his incident as a lie interpolated by Jews, which should be
maternal uncle Laban's two daughters. In addition to the brushed aside.5
two wives, named Liya and Raheel,4 Prophet Jacob had two
female slaves, owned by him and with them he used to have
legitimate intimacies as this practice has long been known A belief in the infallibility of prophets (peace be upon them
when the female slaves are owned by the master. The four all) is an invariable principle of true faith. To regard chastity,
women Prophet Jacob kept - the two wives and two female and noble manners, of prophets with the least skepticism is
slaves - gave him the so-called tribes (eleven sons). It was his to be outspokenly infidel - we seek refuge with Allah that we
wife Raheel who gave him his son Yusuf, and later gave him should not be one of those casting doubts on chastity of
Benjamin. She was Prophet Jacob's most beloved woman he prophets.
legitimately kept.

Prophets Dawud and Soliman had many wives and scores of

Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) kept several wives and female slaves sexually enjoyed. Hence, one can not perceive
numerous female slaves. His son Solomon, also a prophet, that either one of them still needed more women to satisfy
had a lot of wives and female slaves. his sexual desires. Moreover, it is not less imperceptible that
it was Prophet David, who had been known to observe
In this context, we should not let go unheeded the malicious fasting every other day, should resort to mean trickery by
rumors and gross lies deliberately mongered by Jews about getting rid of his senior commander to fill in his place with
Prophet Dawud. his widow.

5 Ibn Katheer in his book the "Interpretation of the Holy Quran", the
4 Combining two sisters as wives had until then been acknowledged and interpretation of the Surah of Sad, verses from 21-25.
has later been explicitly banned by the Quran.

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Polygamy was also widespread in pre-Islam Arabian
peninsula. Polygamy was frequent among Slavic, who now account for
Russians, Serbs, Czechs and Slovaks, dotted all along
Imam Al-Bukhari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, Lithuania, Estonia, Macedonia, Romania and Bulgaria.
according to an authentic chain of narrators, that when
Ghilan of the Thaqif tribe (a companion of the prophet) Germans and Saxons also widely practiced polygamy.
embraced Islam he had ten wives. Prophet Muhammad (Germans and Saxons are the two major races to which
(may peace be upon him), said to him, 'Select four legal almost all the population of Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
wives of them". Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and
England belong). Pagans in Africa, India, China, Japan as
Abou Dawoud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported in well as other southeast Asian regions have always been
his collection of prophetic Traditions, that Umayra of the polygamists.
Assad tribe said, "When I embraced Islam, I had eight wives.
When I told prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) Dr. Muhammad Fouad Al-Hashemi confirms "the Church as
he said, "Keep four of them". having recognized polygamy up to the 17th century".6

None of the four gospels is known to have explicitly barred

Al Imam A]-Shafi'y (may Allah be pleased with him) polygamy. It so happened that some European peoples,
reported that Nawfal son of Mu'awiya Al-Dailamy said, dictated only by non-polygamy pagan traditions, barred the
"When I embraced Islam, I had five wives, so Prophet practice of keeping more than one wife. (Only some peoples
Muhammad (may peace be upon him) said to me, "Keep were known to have barred polygamy, since most European
four wives - whomever four you like - and divorce the peoples - as mentioned before - practiced it on the largest
remaining one". possible scale). When that anti-polygamy minority
converted to Christianity, it clamped the traditional
polygamy ban down on the rest of Christians. As time
Imam Al-Bukhari reported in the Book of Niqah (Wedlock) passed by, Christianity was increasingly, falsely though,
that Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) made a believed to have essentially barred polygamy. It is only an
bond of brotherhood between Abdul-Rahman son of Awf old tradition clamped by some down on the others
and Saad son of Al-Rabi Al-Ansari. Al-Ansari had two throughout ages.
wives, so he very generously offered to give Abdul-Rahman
half his wives and property. Abdul-Rahman replied, "May
Allah bless you with your wives and property. Just kindly
show me the market and I can manage my affairs". 6 He himself converted to Islam from Christianity - refer to the book
named "Religions on the Scales" page 109.

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Opponents of polygamy are invited to pick up the gauntlet - Therefore, polygamy had been, as so far exhibited, a
if they can - and produce any single religious text out of any commonly -accepted practice even before Prophet
of the New Testament four gospels, which prohibits Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent as a mercy to all
polygamy. As to the Old Testament, otherwise known as mankind. However, polygamy as such was absolutely
Torah, it involves explicit texts that polygamy was an unrestricted, as the number of wives or concubines - as
accepted practice in the creeds of Abraham (Allah's friend), shown by examples - was limitless. A polygamist was not
Isaac, Jacob, Dawud, Soliman as well as other prophets sent required to fairly treat his wives, nor had he to do them any
to the Children of Israel (peace be upon them all as well as justice, as later stipulated by Islam.
upon our Prophet Muhammad).
So, if Islam, which is as great, merciful and just as it is, has
Even socially, sociologists and historians, including ordered that wives be treated on a par with each other, put
Westermark, Hubihos, Hiller and Genburg, note that the number of wives kept by a husband at one time at a
polygamy was widely known only to peoples who had maximum of four women and banned polygamy if injustice
attained a considerable amount of civilization. Having is feared on the part of the husband - why do some come out
settled down at river valleys as well as rainy regions, and and object to the practice so ignorantly and over stringently?
converted to organized cultivation and grazing, rather than Does it stand to reason that when heaven descends mercy
hunting, collecting forest fruit and primitive farming, those upon us we throw it back to the most Beneficent and most
peoples adopted polygamy as a widely-accepted social Merciful?
system. At an earlier more primitive phase, it was family
unity and monogamy, which were the prevalent social
values. Pre-Islam community was brimful of diverse forms of
injustice, crime and enormities covertly and overtly alike.
It was a woman who would always be victimized. A
Those historians and sociologists, quoted above, go even husband would always spend most of his time in the bosom
further to announce that a world of more civilization tends of prostitutes, recognized by red flags raised over their tents,
to be heraldic of wider-scale polygamy. The account given and would go back home only when he is fatigued, having
by those scientists- who are all non-Muslims -stands in run out of money and physical strength. In the meantime, a
testimony of the validity of polygamy, as introduced by wife did not dare to raise her voice in objection.
Islam, and strongly refutes the argument of those fallacious
opponents of polygamy who plead that it has long been
Another husband would stay for several months in a row
outdated. with a wife of his, whom he considers the most beautiful of
all, conferring gifts and enormous money exclusively on his

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children by her, with the other wife or wives - let alone their
children - never daring to articulate a single word in
Chapter Two
resistance to this gross inequality.
LEADERS’ MISTRESSES
So what if Islam has permitted polygamy making it Mourners walking in the funeral procession of France's late
restrictively hinging upon justice, mercy as well as marital president Francois Mitterrand whispered out of
duties and tribute to all wives and children on a par with astonishment and curiosity when they saw a lady wearing a
each other - why do we reject it and assail with abusive black hat and thick, dark sunglasses, accompanied by a
words the divine legislation, Prophet Muhammad (peace be blonde girl whose face showed that she was really and
upon him) and the entire religion. deeply in grief, paying last respects to the president's dead
body as they walked side by side with the late president's
widow. However, the funeral turned topsy-turvy when it
Truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but the hearts in their was revealed that the lady was the late president's mistress
chests. and the blonde girl was his illegitimate child given birth to
through marital infidelity.

Indeed, it is Paris, the world's most fantastic and freaky city:

the wife and the mistress seen walking side by side, having
seemingly developed mutual understanding and accord that
it was then no use vying with each other after Mitterrand
himself had passed away.

Some time later, a Swedish female journalist, identified as

Kristina Forsen, released a book called "Francois Told Me" -
by Francois she meant the late French president Francois
Mitterrand. The book and the exciting photos on the inside
pages showed a sinful love story and another marital
infidelity with her by the late French president - much to the
surprise of France and the entire world.

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Interviewed by major newspapers of France and the world, they did not have what I had, so they had to withdraw
which rushed to have lengthy talks with her on her affair quietly. They realized that I was to him the breeze, which he
with president Mitterrand, Kristina Forsen disclosed that her freely breathed in, out of his golden case and his boring
love affair with the president ran for 17 years. One such traditional life! It was I who broke the boredom he had been
newspaper, "France Soir" reported "Marvin" - an feeling throughout his life before he met me; he found
eight-year-old handsome boy living with Kristina - as within me an independent approach of thinking about all
having illegitimately been born to her by Parisian matters of his life, which he had never experienced before".
philanderer Mitterrand.
Kristina recounted a great deal which people did not know
Declining to identify Marvin's father to profession about president Mitterrand. She disclosed that they had a
colleagues, she yelled, "He is my own son alone! And I will private house in the woods, where they met unnoticed by
not ever make known his father's name. I will not let his wife, the press, or even, his personal guards. In short,
anybody trespass on this very private part of my life". they only needed a small official document, which would
have made the affair a legitimate and clean one, and
imparted legitimacy and social respectability to their son
Recounting her affair with Mitterrand from the very
Marvin, but they had not done so.
beginning, Kristina said that she had first met him in 1979
when she was introduced to him by the late Swedish prime
minister Olof Palme as an enthusiastic journalist who wished Egyptian veteran columnist Anees Mansour wrote in his
to interview him. Although he was as doubly old as she was, daily "Al-Ahram" newspaper column on France's politician
an age discrepancy never hindered a relation to grow. George Clemenceau, whom he described as the tiger of
France's politics. Mansour said, "George Clemenceau who
Commenting on the age discrepancy, she said, "In such cases lived between 1841 - 1929, waged horrible political battles
names, ages and positions fall deeply into oblivion. We then and defeated everybody whom he fought. He was able to
only recall a sense of ecstasy, being enraptured in lost talk to twenty people about twenty subjects at one and the
moments". same time! However, no one had ever perceived that the
shrewd politician kept 800 mistresses, who gave birth to
forty illegitimate children".
Kristina was never ashamed when the French press alluded
to her as having been a thorn right into the heart of the
French president's family. Answering back, she said, Mansour further said "But when he knew that his American
"Neither his family, the entire political quarters, nor wife was experiencing marital infidelity, he got up at
anybody around him can assail or disparage me. Simply, midnight and opened the door to let her go down the street

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in her nightdress. Clemenceau, like all human wolves, boast having contracted the disease as the only evidence of
despised women most. Nobody else assailed, or disparaged, having actually met the Chinese leader.
women as he did either on his playful bed or illness bed."
In Austria, the press has exposed President Thomas Klestil President Carlos Menem of Argentina has also been
as taking a mistress who was an employee with the Ministry involved in countless sexual encounters, with world
of Foreign Affairs. Newspapers have tracked their relation newspapers daily uncovering his scandals, though such
back to those years when he had held the position of scandalous stories have not, of course, deterred him. Having
Minister of Foreign Affairs before he assumed presidency. failed to curb his scandalous adventures, his wife has had to
The scandal triggered off has sent his wife Edith Klestil get divorce in the wake of a crushing dispute.
leaving the house in anger and demanding divorce.

As to US leaders, one can talk limitlessly about their love

In 1994, Chinese doctor Li Zi Zhui released an interesting affairs and sexual encounters, as the US people does not ever
book in the US about the life of Chinese leader Mao Tse recognize anything as covert at all. The US people is a
Tung called "The Barbaric Life of Chairman Mao". The book scandal-mongering people, especially if there is a celebrity
is exclusively devoted to Mao's private life as closely seen by involved, whatever the area they may be in! They do not
doctor Li, who was the Chinese leader's private doctor. place any lid on the publication - by any means whether it be
the press, radio or television - of any person whatever, his
position, influence or wealth. Books scandalizing senior
Li says in his book that Mao Tse Tung was the absolute
government or business people are lapped up by Americans
governor of one of the world's most powerful nations. He
and are best sellers.
was a Communist tyrant whose orders could not be checked
and caprices had to be meekly yielded to. He was a savage
wolf who was never satisfied with sex, changing girls as One such exciting book is "Inside the White House",
simply as he changed his socks and shoes. He would throw authored by famous US journalist Ronald Kissler. In his
noisy balls, arranged by his assistants, to pick up whomever book, Kissler pursues the whims and love affairs of most
girl he desires from the hundreds of young girls attending. presidents of the world's most powerful nation, down to the
minute details of the sexual infidelities conducted by each
The author doctor further relates that chairman Mao one of them.
believed that sex was the only way to prolong life. He
developed a lot of contagious venereal diseases and took The ugly president of the US, Linden Johnson, made love to
much delight in communicating the disease to as many five of the eight secretaries he had right at the heart of the
Chinese girls as possible, who would, strangely enough, White House. He would ferret for pretty women amid

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reception crowds; when he found out one, he sent one of his was highly womanizing, although he moved on a wheel
aides to bring her to him, as presidential wishes have to be chair. His most famous mistress was a woman identified as
made true. Lucy Ratherford. He met her regularly when his wife
Eleanor Roosevelt was away.
One day Lady Bird, President Linden Johnson's wife, opened Ruth, the former US president Jimmy Carter's sister, was a
the door of the White House's Oval Office to find her Christianizing preacher, or, as otherwise called in the West,
husband in a position of indecent exposure with a secretary, was in the missionary activity. She would preach on
right with the same office as he received visiting world heaven's teachings, calling on non-Christians to convert to
leaders. Following a heated debate, President Johnson called Christianity. All of a sudden, the truth unfolded: she was
his personal guards and yelled at them that they should deeply involved in a sexual relation with Germany's former
have done anything to stop her. One of them bravely chancellor Willie Brandt. US and German newspapers
replied, "We did not make any mistake; this is your problem extensively reported, in detail, on the love affair between the
alone". "married preacher" and the former German Chancellor. The
Christian preacher's husband was the last to know about his
wife's sexual infidelity.
Notwithstanding, the US president persisted in his brash
behavior. All what he did was to order an "early alarm"
system at the lift to warn him beforehand that his wife was Experiencing the same situation was one of the most famous
on the way, so that he might not be caught red-handed in Christian preachers in the US and the entire world, namely
the very act of marital infidelity. If the guards see his wife clergyman Jimmy Swaggart who engaged in a very famous
heading for the lift leading up to the Oval Office, they debate with the great Islamic preacher Sheikh Ahmad Didat.
should give him a ring to let him know his wife is on her
way for him to get tucked.
The celebrated Christianizing preacher conceded, as major
television stations, in detail, were interviewing him having a
President Johnson had love affairs with other female sexual relation with a prostitute. However, it was Swaggart
journalists and girls, whom his assistants would pimp for himself who would always, before being scandalized, preach
him. On a single occasion, President Johnson brought three virtue and show in a bad light polygamy as well as other
girls in one batch from his Texas farm and appointed them teachings introduced by Islam, while he himself was
as White House employees to be at his beck and call. indulged up to his ears in a filthy mire of sins which he
would forbid his followers to even approach.
President Franklin Roosevelt of the US, who came to power
in 1933 and was re-elected for a third term of office in 1940,

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Hence, Swaggart, who had talked abusively about true senior US delegate to Geneva disarmament talks as having
Islam, has toppled over and fallen, publicly confessing that arranged a making-love meeting between the then US
the circles of Christianizing preachers have always been the vice-president George Bush (during the era of president
scene of the most horrible and repugnant prostitution,
homosexuality and marital infidelity. (And say: "Truth has
Ronald Reagan) and Jennifer, who was an assistant to Bush.
(now) arrived, and Falsehood perished: For Falsehood is (by The meeting took place in a Geneva guesthouse in 1984. Of
its nature) Bound to perish").7 course, major newspapers and TV stations scandalously
publicized the rendezvous.
The late US president John Kennedy acquired worldwide
notoriety for having been sexually infidel with a lot of However, it is incumbent US President Bill Clinton who has
women. His most celebrated mistress had been the sultry been the most notorious human wolf of all US presidents in
actress Marilyn Monroe, who was later mysteriously post-Kennedy era. He has been re-elected to a second term
murdered. The killing is believed to have been of office despite all the furore sparked off by his scandalous
masterminded by the US Central Intelligence Agency, CIA. sexual infidelities, widely exhibited by hundreds of books,
researches as well as press and TV reports.
Robert, president John Kennedy's younger brother, was also
involved in a relation with Monroe at the same time as his President Bill Clinton has himself confessed to his widely
elder brother had an affair with her, and used to meet her in reported sexual affairs. Assertively declining to elaborate on
his office, when he was the US general attorney. any of such love affairs, President Clinton has confirmed the
exposure by media of his private affairs as having led him
President Kennedy had taken tens of mistresses before he into a deep family crisis, which would have sent his
tied the knot with Jacquelyn. Two of his secretaries, marriage bursting at the seams.
identified as blonde Videl and brunette Fadel, as well as a
third girl identified as Judith Campel, who worked with President Clinton's listed mistresses are to the tune of thirty
Mafia, were among those whom he had been womanizing women.
with before he married Jacquelyn.
The most celebrated of them all has been Monica Lewinsky,
Even the former US president George Bush did not survive the centerpiece of the "Monicagate" scandal. Because of his
being caught in the crossfire of traded marital infidelity affair with her, President Clinton has been impeached, amid
charges. US, author Susan Trenfu cited in one of her books a public outcries that he should be ousted. Interviewed by TV,
she has conceded, in detail, to be involved in a sexual affair
7 The surah of "Isma", or the prophet's trip from Mecca to Jerusalem, with the president.
verse 81.

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 Islam - or not as the case is in many of the non-Muslim
Before Monica, there had also been Jennifer Flowers, Paula communities, where illegitimate relations do exist on the
Jones and scores of others. largest perceivable scale in place of polygamy.

A recently published book, called "In the Lobby of The situation, as thus far reviewed, constitutes a question to
Congress", reveals scores of sexual scandals made by those dyed-in- the- wool occidentalists who adamantly resist
reverent representatives and senators at the venerable US polygamy as permitted by Shari'a, which is more graceful
Congress. and honorable, polygamy or a multitude of mistresses? Do
you permit an intimacy only on the chaste nuptial bed, or
Moreover, countless sex-motivated crimes, incidents and you will be doing as dictated by Satan in both the east and
scandals are daily reported by thousands of newspapers, west?
magazines as well as radio and TV networks in the West as
having been made by celebrated politicians, sportsmen, Men have not ever been known to outnumber women in any
actors and people in all walks of life. country across the globe. On the contrary, official statistical
figures denote otherwise. (A separate chapter will be
We have had to publish some of those sexual scandals, devoted to a review of such statistics). Moreover, if men
which said to be done by community leaders in those presumably, only for the sake of argument, outnumber
countries that ban polygamy. Polygamy is not only women, polygamy will spontaneously fall out of practice
prohibited in such nations, but penal codes in so many of and any debate over it will only be futile.
them make it a punishable misdemeanor which carries a
prison term, whereas adultery goes unheeded if it takes
place by common consent! We are assertively saying that
such an amount of filth has had to be exposed and brought
into the spotlight to let those who rise up in arms against
polygamy be knowledgeable about what an immoral
alternative there is to it.

A line of demarcation is thus being distinctively drawn

between what is wrong and what is right of the issue in
question. Polygamy is a reality which cannot be dismissed as
non-existing, whether it be permitted - as so stipulated by

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 Chapter Three to a friendly understanding, and practice self-restraint out of
Allah's fear, Allah is oft forgiving and Most Merciful".8

EASILY - REFUTABLE On the pages to follow an interpretation of the aforesaid

OBJECTIONS verse will be given, including diverse opinions as given by
commentators, in order to shed light upon the provisions set
forth by the verse which run on a collision course with the
Opponents of polygamy do, in fact, regard the practice from standpoint made public by polygamy opponents.
only the single viewpoint of wives regardless of hundreds of
millions of lonely, wretch women dotted everywhere
However, an alleged detriment done to the first wife has,
around the world. This has vividly been demonstrated at
above all, to be refuted. It is not true that only getting
discussions I have had with hundreds of men and women
married to another wife does gross injustice to the first one,
from countries as widely apart as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon,
as they falsely claim, since she must have assuredly realized
Tunisia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, France, Germany, Switzerland,
that it is Islam which so empowers him - so long as the
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the US, Cyprus, Saudi
wives kept at one time are not in excess of four.
Arabia and Egypt of course.

Therefore she has no right whatsoever to bar him from

Keeping another wife is highly detrimental, and does gross marrying another wife, or other wives, unless she has,
inequality, to the first wife, many polygamy opponents beforehand, attached a relevant condition when writing out
polled by me do plead. They argue that a polygamist's wife the marriage contract. She is not empowered to make a
loses a half of her husband to a second wife, two thirds to a marital tie only monogamous, whereas Allah has bestowed
second and third wives, while retains only a quarter of her upon husbands, when financially secure and physically able,
husband if he keeps three other wives besides her. a license of polygamous marriages.

They also allegedly say that a husband, married to more Second, Allah, as the ultimate law and Shari'a giver, has only
than one wife, cannot mete out justice to them. They cite, out restrictively made access to polygamy, making it absolutely
of context, a verse of the Holy Quran, saying, "You are never incumbent upon a polygamist to administer justice to all
able to be fair and just as between women, even if it is your wives kept at a time. A wife under a practice as such
ardent desire", intentionally skipping the rest of the verse restricted will never be stripped of her husband, should the
saying, "But do not turn away (from a woman) altogether, so latter get married to another or others. He is obliged to
as to leave her (as if were) hanging (in the air). If you come
8 Verse number is 129, the surah of Women.

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equally provide for all wives, and to justly distribute Some other men leave on trade mission, or for studying at
everything among them including equally staying overnight universities in other nations, with the married of them
with each one of them. Although a wife in such a position having, as a matter of course, to leave alone wives until they
will have less of her husband, she will not be losing him, have completed studying in a few years' time. However,
once and for all, to a mistress or more. opponents of polygamy do not object, despite the fact that a
polygamist husband goes back to his wife's bosom in a day,
Third, life necessitates that each of the two spouses should two days or even a week; while a husband on a trade or
studying mission is away for at least a year, or even years as
partially sacrifice their desires to their mutual interest, to the
community's public interest or even to the other spouse's exhibited above?
benefit if one spouse is really in love with the other. Islam
abhors egocentricity, calling for altruism rather than hideous One more significant fact has to be taken into account;
egotism. namely a wife is not always available for making love to. In
the wake of childbirth, during a forty-day post-birth
Nowadays, millions of husbands travel abroad for one year bleeding period, an intimacy (sexual intercourse) is
or more in pursuit of their livelihoods, leaving behind their absolutely forbidden. The husband himself may be taken ill,
wives and children. Much to our surprise, those lamenting keeping away from the nuptial bed for sometime as a result;
that a wife of a polygamist will have less of her husband do he wife, in her turn, may also develop any sort of disease
not ever utter any objection to a wife totally stripped, for which tends to estrange her from her husband for a while
ages, of her husband who is always away earning his too. This is the natural course of matters, which cannot be
livelihood abroad. Conversely, they promote such a practice bypassed or obstinately ignored. Not least to be forgotten is
as a major hard-currency earner for the government, even at menstruation, which keeps flowing from a week to a forth
the expense of wives. night in some cases, sending husbands away from any
intimacy until it totally stops flowing.

The fact that hundreds of millions of husbands are recruited

in the armed services all over the world, leaving their wives In a nutshell, there is no such a husband who is glued to his
and children behind for the sake of defending one's nation, wife all the time. Even a healthy residing husband has at
has not ever provoked a public outcry that men should be present to bum the midnight oil for a stepped-up income for
kept beside their families rather than sent to the army; or is it his family, in which case he is always back home so late at
a question of only dismantling Allah's Shari'a? night. Therefore, the fact that not so many husbands are
solely devoted to entertaining wives has to be inarguably
conceded. Consequently, polygamy should not thus be

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exaggeratively magnified as exacting a heavy toll of gross homosexuality, taking lovers beyond wedlock or inhibition
inequality on the first wife. and deprivation?

Fourth, which is preferable if a married man is enamoured Legislation, while catering to diverse community needs,
of another woman: should he divorce the first one - in which should always keep in mind an indispensable balance
case she may be ill, aged or infertile - or he had better retain between apparently ambivalent interests of rival community
her in wedlock and let her enjoy the same privileges as the classes, such as a balance struck between employers and
other wife, or other wives, on a par? employees as well as between landlords and tenants. Hence,
great Islam substantially envisages a social balance between
a wider majority of the unmarried women, on the one hand,
Fifth, is it not more graceful and honorable for a husband to
and the married ones, on the other. It is not fair, in Egypt, as
marry the woman whom he is enamoured of, rather than
an example, to let the scales heavily tip in favor of eight, or
taking her as only a concubine in darkness stripped of any
even ten, million wives against ten million other women and
rights, together with her guiltless would-be offspring who
girls who eagerly await a fair share of life. It is almost fair,
would otherwise end up in orphanage if the father is not
merciful and humanitarian to let them share husbands with
allowed to marry their mother?
those married women for enjoying nuptial life, sympathy
and care.
Sixth, if officially-released statistics in many parts of the
world have already substantiated a claim that women more
than doubly outnumber men, with persisting war claiming There is one more point brought up by opponents of
more lives and sending much wider apart the already polygamy. They allege that a man's sexual desire cannot
gaping discrepancy between the numbers of both genders, only be curbed through polygamy. However, this is an
how can this grave disequilibrium be offset And what a obviously fallacious claim, running counter to reality and
gloomy fate is there in store for hundreds of millions of the natural course of things. If a man has two, three or four
poor, miserable ladies who have lost the spouse who wives he fully quenches, in most cases, his emotional and
maintained the family, or stand an increasingly dimming sexual desires, becoming much less susceptible to sinning.
chance of picking up husbands in view of scarcity of men, of
whom millions have perished in rabid, unbarring war?H
Should we illegitimately abandon them unmarried, just Most important of all, polygamy is not intended only for
because a fewer wives are so womanly egocentric that they quenching lust. As mentioned above, psychologists
cannot stand the notion of their husbands being shared by underline quenching an ardent desire for emotion as more
others? Or should we leave them openly susceptible to significant than merely catering to one's instinctive sexual
need. Making love should not be the only target of marriage.

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Emotional tranquility, passion, mercy, begetting good Sharia. (Empowering husbands to have more than one wife,
offspring, social coherence by marriage relationship, as well under certain conditions and controls, is a means to the end
as taking care of, and providing for, women and children are of reducing those sexually offending). To absolutely
all qualities which are far and beyond having sex in order to eliminate offending is impossible in the mundane world of
curb a galloping desire. Moreover, men are as diverse in fallible human beings who can not resist being entrapped
virility ~ they are in gluttony. into sinning, although, of course, those, grappling with the
evil-abetting soul, who repent and return to Allah's fold are
the morally best.
Above all, polygamy, as a system recognized by Islam, is not
required to raise people to the lofty ranks of chaste, infallible
angels who worship Allah all the time and do as ordered; It is still noteworthy that there are estimated tens of millions
nor has the great Islamic Shari'a made it imperative on of widows and divorcees who keep rummaging around for a
Muslims to thus upgrade themselves. We are, in the first sustainer who will act the compassionate father to their
place, fallible human beings. However, what Shari'a really children, even though he is not at all involved in any nuptial
targets is to as much spare society prospective evils as role, with the actual reality supporting this.
possible: a Muslim should thus be armed with all ways and
means that will urge him to lower his eyes and keep his
genitals from sin. Allowing polygamy is one such means, Faults allegedly made by some polyg4mists should not, by
with the condition of imperatively maintaining equality any means, reckoned to be true Islam. To remedy such faults
among all wives. The situation so created by granting easier cannot be achieved by scrapping polygamy itself Rather,
access to polygamy tends to help wives, in turn, to adhere to making people more knowledgeable about an indispensable
clarity, purity, lowering eyes and preserving genitals from need for administering justice and all-round piety and fear
adultery. of Allah is the salubrious remedy. Again, an aberrant pattern
of behavior by some polygamists should not ever be
reckoned as true Islam, simply because it swerves from its
straight moral path.
Nevertheless, some will act perversely. A case in point is
when the modem state makes jobs available, but some,
despite legitimate job availability, take perverse delight in In fact, what the commons do by meting out injustice to
larceny, theft or drug trafficking to make illicit gains. The women and unequally treating children is the immediate
modem state is only attempting a cutback, as much as it can, consequence of a grave lack of correct Islamic tenets.
on those acting perversely, and this is exactly what the wise Moreover, media make things all the worse by
Islamic Shari'a envisages. To reduce the number of offenders disseminating moral I y- subversive notions and values
of Allah's orders has always been an awesome goal of the which run on a collision course with great Islam.

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 should be capable of having reasonably enough intimacies to
So nervously a young gentleman wondered: where in the make his two or more wives sexually satisfied.
first place is that polygamy you are talking about, while thirdly, there should be psychological strength to
most youths cannot manage to have a job, modest flat or fairly deal with wives on the part of a would-be polygamist.
Mahr (money paid by the groom to the bride in Islam) to So, he should as much resist as possible his heartily slant
pay to only one woman to marry? He went on wondering: a towards a particular one of them. Equally providing for,
youth like us keeps scrimping for ten years on average in staying overnight with, and even playing and entertaining
order to ultimately propose marriage to hardly one girl, so wives should be sternly applied. His slanted approach to a
how do you demand youth to take another wife? particular one of them, if there is such a slant, should be
made invisible and imperceptible so that he may not hurt the
feelings of the other wife or wives.
To answer this question is much simpler than our friend
In our belief, a polygamist husband should put on a par all
thinks, whom we have to excuse for what he said in view of
of his wives, even in terms of the number of intimacies. This
the fact that youths are gravely financially strapped in an
is as close an approach as possible to the spirit of the Islamic
economic crisis-ridden Islamic world, and for which we
great legislation, which regards in a very bad light
supplicate Allah to mightily lift it.
unfairness or inequality in terms of anything. He should
A talk of polygamy should, axiomatically, be addressed only
even regard, or smile at, them equally - this is closer to piety
to those so capable, rather than low-income nascent young
and fear of Allah. If he assuredly realized that he would not
gentlemen, for whom we supplicate Allah to support, and
be fair enough when dealing with his wives, he should
provide for, from a source they could not have imagined.
inevitably then suffice himself with only one wife and
Capability is thus indispensable for anyone wishing to
divorce the other wife or wives. May Allah then provide the
marry, monogamist or polygamist be he.
divorcee with another husband, who will, over flowingly,
show her compassion and love.
Capability is identified as a multi-faceted quail. involving
the following:
firstly, enough solvency to provide for wives and Strange enough is one certain objection against polygamy,
children alike; which is falsely pleaded as putting at stake the entire family
secondly, physical strength. An ill husband is not and increasing children at a time when the government has
perceived of as having many wives, while he cannot make heavily been trying to pare down the growth of population
his first wife sexually satisfied by catering to her legitimate to head off a claimed imminent population explosion.
instinctive sexual desire. Therefore, a would-be polygamist

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Those who so claim are putting the cart before the horse, as useful force along the lines of China, Japan and the rest of
it is a ban on polygamy, which, on the contrary, erodes the Asian tigers.
very entity of society and family. As exhibited by figures,
unmarried girls have been stepping up in number that they However, why can not a woman be a polygamist wife, just
are, by manifold, in excess of married women. Against such as a polygamist husband? This is, of course, a highly naive
a backdrop, if polygamy is not granted easier access, and funny question at the same time, because it overlooks
sex-motivated perversity, homosexuality, psychological the nature of things and what Allah has lodged into the
disorders, suicide, prostitution and taking mistresses and entity as well as the physical and psychological structure of
concubines will be rampant along the lines of Europe's a woman, who is thus created by Allah to be drastically
demoralized communities. As for an increase in the number different from a man. From a point of view, it is impossible
of children on account of polygamy, it should be made to identify an embryo's lineal descent when a wife is
known, beyond the slightest doubt, that whatever soul Allah sleeping around within the same period of time. A situation
has ordained to be created, will accordingly be created and thus created will be that of absolute chaos freakily involving
given access by Allah to this mundane world despite lineal descents as well as social and legal ties. For example,
whatever objection or resistance by whomsoever. whom will this infant, thus born, be an heir to? Who is going
to accept him as husband when he cannot identify himself as
having so and so father or such and such tribe or family?
All there will be that a respectably-born legitimate child - Who, out of those with whom his mother has been sleeping
whose legal birth by a second, third or fourth revered and around with, will be in charge of taking care of, and
well-beloved wife is being fiercely resisted -will instead be providing, for him?
born illegally as a love child and be taking his way down the
street or to an orphanage, becoming in a few years' time a
hardened, professional criminal posing a grave menace to From another standpoint, modem science has exposed a lot
the core of social stability and security. of killer diseases which women susceptibly develop when
semen by diverse men flows into the same womb -including,
Now with the situation so far reviewed, do polygamy Allah forbid, uterus and vaginal cancers as well as AIDS.
opponents still regard this consequence as better than the
previously explained result generated by legitimate That a wife should exclusively have one husband is an
polygamy? One more thing has to be ultimately spelt out: if eternal and immaculate system introduced by Allah, the
human massiveness is managed to be properly cultivated, Sustainer of the entire universe, which if flouted, will
brought up and refined, it will generate an effective and certainly wreak unbearable and unprecedented havoc upon
humans. It is only one husband who should ejaculate sperm

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into a wife's womb, and claiming otherwise only signals The hadith reports Ali son of Abu-Taleb as having proposed
fault and inevitable annihilation. marriage to Abu-Jahl's daughter while he was married to
Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
One more thing has to be ultimately clarified: how can a him). The reporter of the hadith, identified as Al Miswar son
multitude of men go into the bedroom of one and the same of Makhrama, says, "I heard Allah's prophet address his
wife? By Allah, dumb animals do desist from such a pattern audience from his pulpit, and I was adult enough at the
of behavior, so a human, whom Allah has honorably time. He (peace be upon him) said (Fatima belongs to me
preferred to other creatures, had better desist from and I fear that she may be tempted out of her faith). The
indulging himself into such a quagmire? reporter of the hadith then cited Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) as highly commending one of his in-laws from
Prophet Muhammad's Traditions Concerning His Daughter Abd-Shams clan. The prophet (peace be upon him) said "He
Fatima faithfully talked to me and honored what he promised me to
Most polygamy opponents attempt to take advantageously do" referring to Abu-Al-Aas son of Al Rabi'i (and I do not
the incident of Prophet Muhammad's (Peace be upon him) forbid what Allah has made permissible, nor do I make
declining to allow his cousin companion and son-in - law Ali permissible what Allah has forbidden. But, by Allah, never
will the prophet's daughter be meeting at the same place
son of Abu-Taleb - who was married to the prophet's (peace with the daughter of Allah's foe).
be upon him) daughter Fatima - to marry the daughter of
Amre son of Hisham, whose running epithet was Abu-Jahl
(literally: "the Ignoramus"). They inarguably plead that In the same hadith, though otherwise reported in different
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), when refusing to versions, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said,
let Ali take another wife besides Fatima, has invalidated the "The offspring of Hisham son of Al-Mughira have requested
originally valid and permissible principle of polygamy, or my consent to marry their daughter off to Ali son of
has at least conceded detriment as taking a heavy toll on the Abu-Taleb. But, hereby, I decline to give consent, then I
first wife when the husband takes another wife, or wives. decline to give them consent, then I decline to give them
consent, unless Ali son of Abu-Taleb so wishes to divorce
my daughter and marry their own. My daughter belongs to,
To invalidate the argument those polygamy opponents say,
and is part and parcel of, me: whatever is hurting to her is
we have, first of all, to fully cite the prophet's (peace be upon
equally hurting to me; and what exacts a toll on her equally
him) hadith (saying) to know the reasons for which he has so
exacts a toll on me".
declined.

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In the following lines we will be reviewing the elucidation of upon him - forbade marrying them both by Ali because one
the aforesaid hadith, which has been reported by Imam is daughter of the Messenger of Allah
Muslim, (one of the biggest authors of hadiths collections) as And the other is daughter of the foe of Allah, thus adding
interpreted by Imam Al-Nawawi. such a marriage to the women listed by the Holy Quran as
forbidden to marry, in which case his saying "I do not forbid
Imam Al-Nawawi explains as follows: anything which is permissible" should be explained as that
he does not say anything which offends Allah's rulings or
teachings. If
(Jurists have stated: this hadith carries a prohibition of
Allah permits something, he cannot forbid it; if He (Allah)
anything harmful to the prophet - peace be upon him -while forbids it he (the prophet) cannot allow it nor can he remain
alive by any means or under any circumstances, even if this
silent about it - as remaining silent about it could signal
harm is generated by a matter which is originally permitted. consent and permissibility. Jurists thus conclude the
Prophet Muhammad - peace be upon him - has made it
explanation of the hadith.)
publicly known that it is permitted to marry Abu-Jahl's
daughter by having said, "I do not forbid something which is
originally permissible". However, he has forbidden that both
If we have the right to add anything, we have to assert that
women be married by the same husband at one and the
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has obviously
same time for two reasons. The first reason was being that
identified the reason for his declining to let Ali son of
this was detrimental to Fatima, and as such it was
Abu-Taleb marry the other woman, in addition to Fatima, as
detrimental to the prophet - peace be upon him -; whoever
having been that the other girl was the daughter of Abu-Jahl
harms him brings down on him the wrath of Allah. So, he -
- the tyrant whose running epithet during his life was the foe
peace be upon him - has thus forbidden such a marriage for
of Islam. He savagely and brutally fought Islam until the
his full compassion for both Ali and Fatima. The second
moment he gave up the ghost at the very end of sinful and
reason was being he feared for his daughter being tempted
villainous life. Consequently, the daughter of Allah's foe
out of faith because of womanish jealousy.
must not have been dealt with on a par with that begotten
by Allah's beloved prophet and His mercy sent to mankind.

The hadith has also been explained otherwise. The hadith,

thus understood, is not intended to forbid marrying the two Moreover, it could not have been acceptable that the
by Ali, but simply means that the prophet - peace be upon daughter of Allah's last messenger - who belongs to him as
him - knew beforehand from Allah that they would not be well as part and parcel of him as he, peace be upon him,
married by Ali - as Allah revealed to him further events. As described her on a lot of occasions - be placed in a position of
others put it, it was probable that the prophet - peace be profanely vying for a husband's heart, which, naturally,

-21-
entails mutual jealously as well as being locked in heated Ultimately, it is not ever legal that Allah's messenger flouts
bantering and argument as the case is in most households. or invalidates a provision, like polygamy, even though Allah
Allah's prophet and his daughter must have been loftier has revealed verses of the Holy Quran in acknowledgement
than that cheap clash, involving women in every society and thereof. To say that the prophet has flouted or invalidated
at any time, to win husbands' hearts. such a provision is to centrally undermine the tenets of Islam
and criminally call into question Prophet Muhammad's
In addition, Muhammad's daughter presumably sets an deeds.
example for all women of mankind to follow. In her capacity
as such, she must have been safeguarded against any rival
women, so that she might be totally devoted, together with
her father, to the noble call for peace and Islam.
A special mention has to be made of the fact that there are
certain provisions which exclusively apply to Allah's
prophets and messengers- and their sons and daughters
subordinately. Being central to the Islamic faith, such
provisions have to be carefully observed. We firmly believe
that Fatima is a sister to all Muslims, as her mother, late
Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) is the mother of all
the faithful believers as shown by the Holy Quran itself.
Fatima's father, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), is
closer to believers than themselves, and as such he is
regarded as the father of every Muslim, be it male or female.

Therefore, if his daughter Fatima has been a sister to all

female Muslims, she should not be combined in marriage
with any of her sisters, either by Ali - as his two wives - or
by anybody else. And since Fatima is an exception case
covered by a special ruling or provision, no other case which
is not covered by the Quranic text referred to should be
made analogous to her.

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 Chapter Four Maydan" newspaper goes on to say that accordingly
forbidden relations have been increasingly rampant, and so
FIGURES TALK LOUDER has been the phenomenal common-law marriage against a
background of millions of unmarried women. (By
Allah desires but to manifest His might and mercy every common-law marriage we mean a form of marriage in which
now and then. If a believer has to obey and give in to Allah's the two would-be spouses do not dare having their marriage
teachings and orders, although he does not realize the - though legitimate still -registered with the officials so
reason or reasons behind a ruling made by Allah, authorized by the government). The survey -conducted for
non-believers sometimes help bring into the spotlight the newspaper by the two female researchers Ghada
unawares Allah's teachings, thus causing the divine Muhammad Ibraheem and Dalia Kamal Azzam under the
legislation to unfold its covert wisdom only to an audience supervision of the National Center of Sociological and
of the unbiased non-believers who - in acknowledgement of Criminal Studies - has exposed young marriage as having
the wise divine instructions - kneel down in awe to the great been steeply in decline owing to the ever-rising standard of
God. An obvious example in case is the permissiveness of life and with unemployment and housing falling well short
polygamy. of the required.
As demonstrated by the most up-to-date population census
conducted in the US, females outnumber males by more
than eight million women; in Britain, women are in excess of Another survey, released in the US, puts the number of
men by five million females; and in Germany, the ratio of illegitimate children at one out of every six infants born (as
women to men is 3 to1. reported by Al-Akhbar newspaper of 2/7/1968).
Undoubtedly, the number across the US is to the tune of
millions and millions of illegitimate children annually.
In statistics conducted recently by the weekly "Al Maydan"
newspaper9 of Egypt, only one Egyptian girl out of every ten Both Iraq and Iran have appallingly been undergoing a
girls at the age of marriage, which has been pushed up from grave imbalance between men and women in view of the
22 to 32 years, gets access to marriage. In almost all cases, a eight-year-old heavy war the two nations had been waging
potential bridegroom is so well over thirty-five years that he against each other. In either of the two countries the ratio of
is almost forty years of age. This should not be much to our men to women stands at 1:5 or 1:7 in some other regions.
surprise: a new graduate has to wait for a job for ten to
twelve years to obtain it, has to scrimp for some more time
and then set off ferreting for his so-called better halaal "Al However, the situation is all the more bizarre and menacing
in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was plunged into a filthy
racial war which had crushingly and ceaselessly persisted
9 Tuesday's issue, May 6th 1997.

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from 1992 until 1996. The consequence has been a terrifying of an entire population of Kuwait as a whole of half a million
ratio of 1:27. Yes, only one man to every twenty-seven people.
women. The social catastrophe that Muslim nation has been
undergoing owing to the scarcity of men and massiveness of To deprive a woman of emotion is a greater health hazard
women is beyond any stretch of imagination. Communism than to deprive her of sex. The pleasure attained by a
has been clamped down on that country for tens of years. It woman when having sex, in the absence of emotion, does
not excite a woman as much as a gentle word or kind
jettisoned criminal Communism only to be ensnared in the fondling will certainly do, sending her sexually excited to
jaws of a more perishing and criminal crusade. What the degree of satisfaction. This remark is underscored by
alternative is there for Muslim girls to do if they can not Saed Abdul-Azeem, a professor of psychiatry and neurology
at the Cairo University's Faculty of Medicine. He further
come across Muslim husbands? Should we let them marry explains that a woman's emotional deprivation is the
Orthodox Serbs or Catholic Croats just because some over shortest way to acting perversely, sexual frigidity and a
stringent women and men do not acknowledge polygamy? wider range of physical and psychological illnesses alike.10

Or is it the fact that those over stringent women and men

prefer that Muslim girls should take lovers (adulterers
behind the scenes) along Western demoralized lines?

Dr. Muhammad Helal Rifa'i, a gynecologist, assertively says

In a hot press report on the "explosion of bachelor girls", that the lack, or even delay of marriage makes a woman
Tahani Al-Burtuqali, the correspondent in Kuwait of more exposed to breast tumours, uterus cancer as well as
Cairo-based "Al-Ahram" newspaper, recalls what happened fibroid tumours than the married ones. Having been polled,
a few years ago when Kuwait's society experienced the many woman patients who frequent his clinic
phenomenal sending by hundreds of unmarried girls of overwhelmingly said they prefer getting married to an
letters to Kuwaiti wives, in which each girl demanded the already-married man than gloomily remaining a bachelor
wife to share the husband with her in a bid to keep abreast girl. Some of those women patients said they even preferred
of the problem of the rising number of bachelor girls in being a third or fourth wife than being permanently held
Kuwait's society as well as in Gulf society in general. captive by spinstership.
Another report carried by "Al-Ahram Al-Arabi" magazine,
on its first issue, said there were estimated 40 thousand girls.
The number is not little if compared to the entire population If this is the view of science, a woman doctor can, to a
of Kuwait as a whole - it represents 16% of Kuwait's women greater degree of fidelity, describe what an unmarried
who account for a little more than 250 thousand people out woman feels. A woman doctor cites in a message to Ahmad

10 "Your Private Doctor" magazine of May 1997

-24-
Bahgat, a veteran Egyptian columnist with the Cairo-based explosion which they can neither deal with nor cope with its
Al-Ahrarn newspaper, statistics as having exhibited that deadly fallout. This happens against a background of
estimated ten million women and girls live on their own in Muslims only in the name drumming up war against the
Egypt. She further quotes the survey as classifying those validity and legitimacy of polygamy.
women and girls as either divorcees, widows without or
with children (who later grew up and embarked on their Dr. Muhammad Youssef Moussa, an Egyptian celebrated
own lives alone), or girls who have not been married before. university professor and intellectual in the first half of this
century, tells a relevant story whose scene was an
She wonders whether anybody can imagine the magnitude international youth conference in 1948 in Germany's Munich
of tragedy that those lonely women have to experience. They city. At the invitation of the conference organizers, Dr.
cannot maintain balanced relations with others, but they are Mohamed Youssef Moussa and one of his colleagues
distraught with tension, anxiety and a deep desire to remain attended a seminar at the aforesaid conference. The major
isolated away from curious eyes, forked tongues and theme of the seminar was a post-World War II problem in
pre-determined charges of snatching husbands from friends, Europe of having women outnumbering men by several
one's kith and kin or neighbors. fold. Having exhaustively dealt with all solutions proposed
by Western participants, the seminar turned them all down,
branding them as falling largely short of remedying the
This all leads to depression, rejection of life and inability to immensely difficult problem. Thus far, neither Dr. Youssef
be properly woven into the society's fabric. The doctor is Moussa nor his colleague had asked for the floor to address
raising the alarm that those unmarried women are more
susceptible to psychologi6al as well as physical diseases, the seminar. Addressing the seminar, they called for the only
suc4 as migraine, hypertension, arthritis, stomach and natural alternative,
duodenal ulcers, irritable colon, menstruation disorders, loss
of hair and moral perversity, with many of them having
Namely adopting polygamy. The Islam-orientated
ultimately to marry an already-married man.11 standpoint was first astonishingly and sneeringly greeted.
However, having thoroughly, fairly and prudently mulled
over the view, researchers attending the conference ended
up approving the Islamic solution to the problem, as the one
and only solution, and adopting it as a conference
Ironically enough, some Western nations where women
recommendation. Only one year later, residents of then West
alarmingly outnumber men have had to approve polygamy
Germany's city Bonn, were widely reported by the press and
as the only alternative to an imminent irreversible social
news agencies as demanding the German constitution to

1 1 Ahmed Bahgat in his daily column called the "Peeping Show",

Al-Ahrarn of May 13th, 1997.

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feature an article allowing polygamy. Hence, Allah bachelor girls, entailing a great deal of corruption, along
manifests what is right despite seculars' unwillingness.12 those nations banning polygamy”.13

With the system of polygamy having been in place for

centuries, Muslim communities have managed to survive
countless evils and misfortunes. A comparison simply struck
between societies in Saudi Arabia, for example, and the US
will show moral crimes - such as rape and prostitution - as
rarely taking place in the former, as against mistresses far in
excess of wives in the latter, with illegitimately-born
children accounting for more than 45% of births in the US
annually. In accordance with official US statistics,
illegitimate children had not exceeded 88 thousand infants
by 1938, climbing to 202 thousand infants by 1957, to 250
thousand by 1958 and then skyrocketing to millions of
infants born outside wedlock. However, real figures usually
tend to be, by a long chalk, far more than official figures
released by governments and whoever knows the other
hidden parts of the situation.

In view of all this, France's celebrated man of letters Atienne

Denez once wondered, "I s a ban on polygamy morally
useful?
He answers himself by saying, "This is highly skeptical, as
prostitution, happening once in a blue moon in most Islamic
nations, will be going widely rampant, sending immensely
destructive fallout everywhere. Women will largely remain

1 2 "Fiqh Al Sunna", by Sheikh Sayyid Sabiq, volume 2, the chapter on the

family system, edition published by Maktabatul Muslim. 13 From the book "Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah", translated by the
late Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Dr. Abdul-Haleem Mahmoud.

-26-
 Chapter Five give her a mahr equal to the one that would have otherwise
been paid to others similar to her).
POLYGAMY NOT LEFT So, a guardian with such a female orphan in his custody has
UNCONTROLLED been forbidden to marry her unless he deals with her on a
par with any other woman who is not in his custody by
Allah, Exalted be He, said, "If you fear that you shall not be granting her the maximum mahr he would otherwise have
able to deal justly with orphans, marry women of your given to an equivalent woman. A guardian, in such a
choice, two or three or four; But if you fear that you shall not
be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a
position, has been ordered, fearing injustice, to marry as
captive) that your right hands possess. That will be more many as maximally four women whom he desires, apart
suitable, to head you off from doing injustice”.14 from those female orphans under his protection".

Abu-Jaafar Muhammad son of Jareer, in his elucidation of

Interpreting this verse which allowed polygamy, the same verse, reported Rabi'aa as saying, "Allah, Exalted
Ibn-Qatheer said, "If anyone of you has in his custody a
female orphan to whom he feared that he should not give
be He, ordered his worshippers to leave those female
mahr (marriage portion) equal to those who are similar to orphans in their custody for any other four women whom
her, he should then do her justice by turning to another Allah has maximally allowed". Abu-Jaffar has reported other
woman; Allah has created so many women that he will not
be in a loss for one or ones. 15 (jurists) as saying, "Marry maximally four stranger women
whom Allah has allowed you to marry. In case you fear not
dealing fairly with more than one of those strangers, you
have either to content yourselves with only one wife or with
Imam Al Bukhari reported - authoritatively – Urwa, son of those female captives in your right hands".
Al-Zubair, as having asked his maternal aunt Aisha, may
Allah be pleased with her, about this verse. She replied by
Other jurists said, as still reported by Abu-Jaafar, "The verse
saying, "My nephew, the verse refers to a female orphan
can even be explained as forbidding marrying in excess of
who, as being kept in custody, shares her money with her
four woman so that orphans funds may not be depleted by
guardian. With her money or beauty tickling his fancy, her
guardians. A tribesman of Quraish used - in pre-Islamic
guardian wishes to marry her without doing her justice (to
times - to marry to the tune of ten women, or more or less of
women. Having exhaustively spent his money on his ten
1 4 Verse three of the surah of "Al-Nisaa" or Women, the Holy Quran.
1 5 "T he Interpretation of the Great Quran", by Ibn-Qatheer. The
wives and thus become a destitute, such a tribesman of
elucidation of verse three of the surah of "Al-Nisaa" or Women. Quraish would head for the funds of the orphans in his

-27-
custody to splurge out on his wives or on marrying new to "swerve" from her to another one. In this context, a control
ones. Therefore, Allah has forbidden such a practice".16 over having many wives is not imperative. In other words,
even a guardian who does not fear doing injustice to
Al-Imarn Al-Nasafy, another great interpreter of the Holy
orphans, he may have more than one wife (second, third or
Quran, said, "As reported, men in pre-Islamic times felt free fourth wife) thus doing just as the one who exactly fears
to commit adultery, but never felt as free to take orphans in injustice.18 Allowing polygamy is a general ruling, which
their custody. So, Allah told them if you do not really feel
free to take orphans in your custody, fearing injustice to applies to all Muslims, with strings attached. As for what
them, you had better fear adultery, from which you should Allah said in the same verse "that will be more suitable to
keep your genitals by marrying women whom Allah has head you off from doing injustice", it simply means as the
allowed you to marry and never hover around Allah's
forbidden things. Or they did not feel free to take wealthy verse says "To head off from injustice", rather than (as others
orphans in their custody, whereas giving themselves an have unsuccessfully interpreted it) "the least not to have so
absolutely free hand to keep as many wives as possible, many offspring" (The Arabic word used by Allah in the
although when they are more than four wives they are more
prone to gross inequality being done to them. It is as if Allah verse can mean “not to do injustice" or “not to have so many
were telling them: if you feel hand-tied to keep orphans in offspring"). Al-Tabary reported, citing Ibn-Abbas, Mujahid
your custody, you should not feel free to do the many wives
you keep injustice either; should you fear unfairness as
and Ibn-Omar, that the Arabic controversial word referred
possibly being meted out to those wives, content yourselves to assuredly means "injustice" and "slanting". The sense of
with only one wife or, otherwise, take as many female the controversial Arabic word is not "The least not to be
captive slaves possible, so that you may not treat any wife
unjustly".17
poor" either, as the entire sense of the verse does not go right
as such. What is widely believed, by Islamic jurists, to be
right is "Not to do injustice or to be slanted against what is
right".

Never In Excess of Four Wives At One Time

The meaning carried by Allah's saying in the verse you fear"
is as follows:
Allah has licensed a Muslim man to marry from one up to
If you think you will not, most probably, mete out fairness to
four wives, as drawn from the very wording of the verse of
the orphan, or orphans, you have in your custody, you have
the surah of "Al-Nisaa" (women) and widely-acknowledged
1 6 Please refer to "Jamiul Bayan Fi Tafseer Al Quran" by Ibn-Jareer sayings of the great interpreters of the Holly Quran. A
Al-Tabary, the chapter on the interpretation of the surah of Al-Nisaa.
1 7 The interpretation of the Holy Quran by Imam Al-Nasafi, the chapter on
the surah of Al-Nisaa. 18 Fiqh Al Sunna", by Sheikh Sayyid Sabiq, volume 2, the chapter on the
family system, edition published by Maktabatul Muslim.

-28-
Muslim husband cannot have in excess of four wives at the the Quran, has clarified beyond the slightest doubt that it
same time; if he fears that he is highly likely not to deal with was Prophet Muhammad alone who was empowered to
them on a par with each other, in case of more than one wife, keep wives in excess of four."
he should content himself with only one. The rule of not
doing any injustice applies to a husband of three wives: Some Shiite jurists have said that a Muslim husband may
fearing injustice he should reduce them to only two; a combine up to nine wives, interpreting the relevant verse of
husband of three fearing injustice if he gets a fourth one "Al-Nisaa" surah as follows: (two + three + four = nine)!!
should content himself with only the three wives he already Another queer and unaccepted opinion says that a Muslim
has. husband may combine 18 wives, interpreting two as 2 + 2,
three as 3 + 3, and four as 4 + 4, all totaling 18 wives.
Wise Shari'aa even bans monogamy if the husband is fearful
of doing his only wife injustice. Great Islam is keenly However, the very wording of sunna as well as the deeds of
interested in administering justice under all circumstances. companions and followers categorically denote that a
Muslim husband may have access only to four wives. Sunni
There is consensus among jurists that a Muslim husband jurists, predecessor and descendants alike, have
may not combine in excess of four wives.19 If Prophet unanimously agreed that it was exclusively the Prophet who
Muhammad, peace be upon him, has combined nine wives was allowed to have more than four wives.
at one time, this exclusively applies to him; no other Muslim
should be analogous to the Prophet.
We refer our readers to the hadiths previously cited in
chapter one of this book, including that reported by Imam
Al-Bukhari (also reported by Malik, Nasa'i and Daraqutni)
In the following lines, we will be elaborating on the reason that Ghilan of the Thaqif tribe had ten wives when he
and circumstances leading him (peace be upon him) to embraced Islam. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
said to him: "Keep only any four of them you desire and
marry every one of those wives in order to clarify any divorce the rest." Another hadith has also been previously
relevant confusion or misunderstanding as well as to refute cited in chapter one of this book. It is that hadith reported by
lies mongered by orientalists and Jews alike. Abu.-Dawoud citing Harith son of Qais of the Asad tribe as
saying, "When I embraced Islam I had eight wives. When I
so told the Prophet, he said: Keep only four of them."20
Al-Imam Al-Shafii, may Allah be pleased with him, said in
his collection of authentic hadiths, "The Prophet's sunna,
elaborately explaining what Allah has set forth in general in

1 9 Sayyid Sabiq, op cit. 20 Please refer to chapter one of this book, which deals with pre-Islam
polygamy.

-29-
 concluded) who have made that highly-ignorant claim.
Ibn-Katheer, elucidating the verse of the Quran having to do Some others have gone further to a much worse stretch by
with polygamy, saying, "Allah says marry as many wives as alleging that Allah has licensed men to combine eighteen
two, three or four if you so wish. Allah, Exalted be He, said wives. This all is an example of gross ignorance of both
(Who made the angels messengers with wings - two, or
three, or four), 21 '(2) that is to say that some of those angels language and sunna alike, and flouts the nation's consensus
have two wings, some have three wings while others have as well, as none of the Prophet's companions or followers
four wings. The context here is that of Allah, the Benefactor,
mentioning His boons that He has endowed upon His
who came in subsequent ages was heard of as having
worshippers, and telling them what He has allowed them to married more than four wives."
do. So, if Allah had allowed men to combine more than four
wives, He would have made it clear in the Quran.22
Having cited all the Prophet's hadiths in which he ordered
companions to keep only any four of the wives they had and
to divorce the ones in excess thereof, Al-Qurtubi23 has
stressed that combining nine wives at a time was an
Al-Imarn Al-Qurtubi, refuting the alleged permission for exclusively special thing of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
men to marry more than four wives, has said, "Those who so with divine direction to fulfil certain objectives for the good
claim do neither understand the Quran nor the sunna at all, of the call and message itself. Then, Al-Qurtubi has said,
abandoning what the Muslim nation's ancestors firmly "Allah, Exalted be He, has addressed Arabs in the plainest
believed in. They claimed that the conjunction ('And) in the Arabic style. Arabs, eloquent as they were, never said two
relevant verse is an all-combining one. In fact, it is the jurists and three and four when they mean "nine." Arabs
who belong to the sect of Rafida, or Rafidites (certain completely disagree of an Arab saying: give somebody four,
offshoots of Shiite), and some of those associated with the six and eight instead of out rightly saying eighteen. The
sect of Zahirites (a certain Islamic sect adopting the opinion conjunction "And" in the gracious verse (Two and three and
of taking religious judgments directly from Quran and four wives) simply means :instead of two you may marry
sunna texts as they are on the surface, even literally, three, and instead of three you may marry four wives." "If he
regardless of whatever details, explanations or restrictions gets a fifth wife, the marriage spontaneously turns null and
jurists of other schools of jurisprudence may have void and is even punishable, though scholars have assumed
diverse positions on this," Al-Qurtubi further said. In reply
to a question why Allah has not used the conjunction "Or" in

2 1 Verse number one from the surah of "Fatir", or the Originator of

Creation.
2 2 Ibn-Katheer's book on the interpretation of the Quran, previously 23 Al-Imam Al-Qurtubi in his book "The Book All Inclusive of the Holy
referred to. Quran Provisions".

-30-
the verse instead of "And," Al-Qurtubi has said, "If (or) had disadvantageous to her. However, every individual case has
been used, the verse would have meant that a husband of to be considered independently of others. A husband's
two may not take a third wife, and that a husband of three conscience, self-honesty and religious scruple are apt to
may not take a fourth one, while all this is permitted. dissuade him from inequality to his wife or wives. If,
notwithstanding, a husband insists on having a wife or
wives whom he is not able to adequately and reasonably
Capability to Practice Polygamy
satisfy her sexually, the wife (or wives) thus kept has perfect
right to proceed against him demanding a divorce on
As mentioned before, having access to polygamy primarily grounds of detriment and a fear of having illegal sexual
hinges upon capability. Just as marrying the first wife, affair. A court judge is broadly empowered to assess the
marrying a second, third or fourth wife requires financial, magnitude of detriment in every individual case.
health as well as psychological capability. In the lack of
capability, polygamy is, automatically, not allowed. He who
cannot provide for two households has to suffice himself As to psychological capability, it means an ability to
with only one wife at the center of only one household. A administer justice to the wives kept, in terms of everything
husband of two should content himself with the two unless available, without showing any slant towards one wife, or
he is capable, in terms of both finance and health, of keeping his children by her, against the other wife, or wives or his
a third or fourth wife, and so on. children by her or them.
In the absence of any of the three capability prerequisites
By finance we mean solvency to provide for the children by cited above, polygamy is not, by any means, allowed.
the wife, or wives, kept.
Justice Among Wives
Health capability, in our opinion, is the ability to satisfy
sexual desires of the wives kept, as its imperative on the Allah, Exalted be He, says in the third verse of "Al-Nisaa"
husband to cuter for the legitimate and natural sexual surah, "But if you fear that you shall not be able to deal
desires of his wife or wives. By so doing, he helps his wife, justly, then only one."24 Allah, Exalted be He, also says
or wives, to be sexually chaste. If the husband is sexually "You are never able to be fair and just as between women,
impotent, for example, he is not envisaged as having any even if it is your ardent desire, but do not turn away from a
wife, even a single one, as this does her gross injustice. We woman altogether, lest you should leave her as if she were
also believe that a husband, or them, sexually potent for only hanging in the air. If you come to a friendly understanding,
one wife should not have more wives because he is thus and exercise self-restraint, Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most
doing her injustice, making marriage grossly
24 Verse number 3 of Al-Nisaa surah.

-31-
Merciful.25 So, how can the wording of the two verses of slanting on one of his sides."27 Justice, as mentioned in this
the surah be reconciled? And what are the criteria of the hadith, refers only to expenses and staying overnight, rather
justice required? than in terms of love or heart inclination, as it is Allah who is
in full command of human hearts.
In answer, Al-Imarn Al-Qurtubi says, "Allah, Exalted be He,
has informed His worshippers that justice cannot be meted Ibn-Abbas, Ibn-Jareer, and Al-Hassan Al-Basry said that "As
out to the wives in terms of affection, making love and heart
inclination. Allah, Exalted be He, most properly described if she were hanging" means: do not turn away from her,
human disposition, making it perfectly clear that humans leaving her neither divorced to get another husband nor
cannot, by nature, take command of their hearts slanting married by a husband who will take care of her and meet
heavier towards one or the other. In view of this all, Prophet
Muhammad used to fairly deal with his wives in terms of her legitimate rights.
expenses, then said, (0 Allah, this is the way I was able to
mete out justice to my wives in terms of what I have control
over; so Allah do not blame me for what I do not have Qatada has interpreted the word as meaning: do not turn
control over and which falls only under your control). Then away from her, leaving her as if she were imprisoned. Ubbay
Allah has forbidden excessive turning away from a wife to
another by saying (Do not turn away from a woman son of Qaab, may Allah be pleased with him, would read the
altogether), namely do not deliberately do her harm - as verse in Arabic to sound the Arabic word which means
Mujahid reported - but deal justly in terms of staying
overnight and expenses as these two are well under one's
"Imprisoned."
control.”26

Ibn-Masoud, may Allah be pleased with him, would read

the verse in Arabic to sound like "leaving her as if she were
hanging." These are all ways of reciting the Holy Quran,
only to clarify the meaning; as thus they should not be
regarded as a change in the wording of the Holy Quran -
Allah forbid...
Abu-Huraira quoted Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
him, as saying, "He who has two wives to whom he had not Sheikh Sayyid Sabiq asserts, "Justice as required by Allah is
meted out justice, will be coming on the Day of Judgement only the external one of which one is capable, rather than
justice in terms of love and affection. No one is capable of
2 5 Verse number 129 of Al-Nisaa surah.

2 6 Al-Imarn Al-Qurtubi in his book "The Book All Inclusive of the Holy
Quran Provisions", the chapter on the interpretation of verse 129 of 27 T he hadith was reported by Abu-Dawoud, Al-Nasa'i, Ibn-Majah and
"Al-Nisaa" surah. Al-Termidhy.

-32-
the latter; the justice denied is the one having to do with husband is not required to give out equal sentiments to them
affection, love and making love to."28 all, as a human being cannot ever do so because it is far
beyond the scope of human volition. And this exactly the
Muhammad son of Sireen, may Allah be pleased with him, kind of justice which Allah has described by saying "And
said, "Upon asking Ubaida about this verse, he replied: you will never be able to deal fairly with them, even if you
"Justice cannot ever be achieved in terms of love or making so ardently desire). This verse is manipulatively used by
love." some as a false pretext to ban polygamy, whereas the verse
does not so mean. Allah's Shari'aa is not so jocular to pass
and adopt a certain pattern of behavior in one verse and
Abu-Bakr son of Al-Arabi, talking about love and affection bans it in another; Allah's Shari'aa does not ever give out
in question, has said, "no one can control love. Emanating something with the right hand and take it away with the left.
from the heart, love cannot be taken control of, as it is Allah,
the Beneficent, alone who can dispose of humans' hearts.
The same applies to making love: a husband may be
Justice urged by the verse is in terms of expenses, dealing
particularly sexually active with a wife of his, while being and making love to. This is exactly the justice without which
less active with another. If he is not so deliberately, he is not a husband may not take more than one wife. It applies
guilty. He cannot control his emotion, so he is not so mainly to external matters which have to be fully catered for
by a husband - nothing short thereof -in such a way that a
assigned." wife is not favored by something at the expense of the other,
Al-Imarn Al-Khatabi has said, "Things should be fairly in terms of expenses and making love. A case in point is the
splendid example set by Prophet Muhammad, peace be
distributed by a husband to all the wives whom he has, so upon him, who is the mankind's loftiest man. He used to
long as those wives are not captive slaves. Inadvisable is mete out justice, although everyone was perfectly
one's inclination towards one wife more than the other, or knowledgeable that he loved Aisha better. However, he did
not ever prefer her to others in terms of staying overnight or
others, resulting in (material) rights not properly catered for, expenses." 29
rather than the inclination of hearts which cannot be
controlled."

The deceased Sayyid Qutb, a prominent figure of the

Muslim Brotherhood says, "What is really required is justice In a nutshell, one's heart inclination or love for a wife more
in terms of dealing, expenses, and sexual intercourse. A than the others should, as we believe, be imprisoned within

2 8 Fiqh Asunnah", by Sheikh Sayyid Sabiq, volume two, the chapter on 29 "In the Shades of the Holy Quran", by Sayyid Qutb, volume one, edition
family system. published by Darel Shrouk publishing house.

-33-
one's bosom, rather than rendered into action that will hurt
the feelings, or undermine the interests, of the rest of his In conclusion, if it were true that the verse number 129 of
wives or their children in favor of the most beloved wife or "Al-Nisaa" bans polygamy - as it has made it categorically
her children. clear that administering justice to wives is impossible -
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, together with his
We are, above all, humans rather than angels. Therefore, companions, would have divorced their wives as soon as the
everybody should be content with justice in terms of matters verse had descended, contenting themselves with one wife
which are within human control: absolute justice exists only each. As we have authoritatively been told, none of them
in the Hereafter with Allah, Exalted be He, in Whose had so done - Allah forbid that the prophet or any of his
presence no one is ever done injustice, while there is no way companions would flout Allah's orders to divorce extra
to compel humans to equally administer feelings and wives, if Allah has ever so ordered.
sentiments.
Accordingly, polygamy is truly allowed until the Day of
Interpreting this verse which allowed polygamy, Judgement. In support of this is a hadith which says,
Ibn-Qatheer said, "If anyone of you has in his custody a "Women are doomed to survive, while men will be so few
female orphan to whom he feared that he should not give that every fifty women will have a corresponding one man
mahr (marriage portion) equal to those who are similar to to control, and take care of".
her, he should then do her justice by turning to another This hadith carries a prophecy that will come true in yet
woman; Allah has created so many women that he will not other generations to come, and fall within those prophetic
be in a loss for one or ones. 15 (jurists) as saying, "Marry maximally four stranger women
whom Allah has allowed you to marry. In case you fear not
dealing fairly with more than one of those strangers, you
have either to content yourselves with only one wife or with
Imam Al Bukhari reported - authoritatively – Urwa, son of those female captives in your right hands".
Al-Zubair, as having asked his maternal aunt Aisha, may
Allah be pleased with her, about this verse. She replied by
Other jurists said, as still reported by Abu-Jaafar, "The verse
saying, "My nephew, the verse refers to a female orphan
can even be explained as forbidding marrying in excess of
who, as being kept in custody, shares her money with her
four woman so that orphans funds may not be depleted by
guardian. With her money or beauty tickling his fancy, her
guardians. A tribesman of Quraish used - in pre-Islamic
guardian wishes to marry her without doing her justice (to
times - to marry to the tune of ten women, or more or less of
women. Having exhaustively spent his money on his ten
1 4 Verse three of the surah of "Al-Nisaa" or Women, the Holy Quran.
1 5 "T he Interpretation of the Great Quran", by Ibn-Qatheer. The
wives and thus become a destitute, such a tribesman of
elucidation of verse three of the surah of "Al-Nisaa" or Women. Quraish would head for the funds of the orphans in his

-27-
custody to splurge out on his wives or on marrying new to "swerve" from her to another one. In this context, a control
ones. Therefore, Allah has forbidden such a practice".16 over having many wives is not imperative. In other words,
even a guardian who does not fear doing injustice to
Al-Imarn Al-Nasafy, another great interpreter of the Holy
orphans, he may have more than one wife (second, third or
Quran, said, "As reported, men in pre-Islamic times felt free fourth wife) thus doing just as the one who exactly fears
to commit adultery, but never felt as free to take orphans in injustice.18 Allowing polygamy is a general ruling, which
their custody. So, Allah told them if you do not really feel
free to take orphans in your custody, fearing injustice to applies to all Muslims, with strings attached. As for what
them, you had better fear adultery, from which you should Allah said in the same verse "that will be more suitable to
keep your genitals by marrying women whom Allah has head you off from doing injustice", it simply means as the
allowed you to marry and never hover around Allah's
forbidden things. Or they did not feel free to take wealthy verse says "To head off from injustice", rather than (as others
orphans in their custody, whereas giving themselves an have unsuccessfully interpreted it) "the least not to have so
absolutely free hand to keep as many wives as possible, many offspring" (The Arabic word used by Allah in the
although when they are more than four wives they are more
prone to gross inequality being done to them. It is as if Allah verse can mean “not to do injustice" or “not to have so many
were telling them: if you feel hand-tied to keep orphans in offspring"). Al-Tabary reported, citing Ibn-Abbas, Mujahid
your custody, you should not feel free to do the many wives
you keep injustice either; should you fear unfairness as
and Ibn-Omar, that the Arabic controversial word referred
possibly being meted out to those wives, content yourselves to assuredly means "injustice" and "slanting". The sense of
with only one wife or, otherwise, take as many female the controversial Arabic word is not "The least not to be
captive slaves possible, so that you may not treat any wife
unjustly".17
poor" either, as the entire sense of the verse does not go right
as such. What is widely believed, by Islamic jurists, to be
right is "Not to do injustice or to be slanted against what is
right".

Never In Excess of Four Wives At One Time

The meaning carried by Allah's saying in the verse you fear"
is as follows:
Allah has licensed a Muslim man to marry from one up to
If you think you will not, most probably, mete out fairness to
four wives, as drawn from the very wording of the verse of
the orphan, or orphans, you have in your custody, you have
the surah of "Al-Nisaa" (women) and widely-acknowledged
1 6 Please refer to "Jamiul Bayan Fi Tafseer Al Quran" by Ibn-Jareer sayings of the great interpreters of the Holly Quran. A
Al-Tabary, the chapter on the interpretation of the surah of Al-Nisaa.
1 7 The interpretation of the Holy Quran by Imam Al-Nasafi, the chapter on
the surah of Al-Nisaa. 18 Fiqh Al Sunna", by Sheikh Sayyid Sabiq, volume 2, the chapter on the
family system, edition published by Maktabatul Muslim.

-28-
Muslim husband cannot have in excess of four wives at the the Quran, has clarified beyond the slightest doubt that it
same time; if he fears that he is highly likely not to deal with was Prophet Muhammad alone who was empowered to
them on a par with each other, in case of more than one wife, keep wives in excess of four."
he should content himself with only one. The rule of not
doing any injustice applies to a husband of three wives: Some Shiite jurists have said that a Muslim husband may
fearing injustice he should reduce them to only two; a combine up to nine wives, interpreting the relevant verse of
husband of three fearing injustice if he gets a fourth one "Al-Nisaa" surah as follows: (two + three + four = nine)!!
should content himself with only the three wives he already Another queer and unaccepted opinion says that a Muslim
has. husband may combine 18 wives, interpreting two as 2 + 2,
three as 3 + 3, and four as 4 + 4, all totaling 18 wives.
Wise Shari'aa even bans monogamy if the husband is fearful
of doing his only wife injustice. Great Islam is keenly However, the very wording of sunna as well as the deeds of
interested in administering justice under all circumstances. companions and followers categorically denote that a
Muslim husband may have access only to four wives. Sunni
There is consensus among jurists that a Muslim husband jurists, predecessor and descendants alike, have
may not combine in excess of four wives.19 If Prophet unanimously agreed that it was exclusively the Prophet who
Muhammad, peace be upon him, has combined nine wives was allowed to have more than four wives.
at one time, this exclusively applies to him; no other Muslim
should be analogous to the Prophet.
We refer our readers to the hadiths previously cited in
chapter one of this book, including that reported by Imam
Al-Bukhari (also reported by Malik, Nasa'i and Daraqutni)
In the following lines, we will be elaborating on the reason that Ghilan of the Thaqif tribe had ten wives when he
and circumstances leading him (peace be upon him) to embraced Islam. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
said to him: "Keep only any four of them you desire and
marry every one of those wives in order to clarify any divorce the rest." Another hadith has also been previously
relevant confusion or misunderstanding as well as to refute cited in chapter one of this book. It is that hadith reported by
lies mongered by orientalists and Jews alike. Abu.-Dawoud citing Harith son of Qais of the Asad tribe as
saying, "When I embraced Islam I had eight wives. When I
so told the Prophet, he said: Keep only four of them."20
Al-Imam Al-Shafii, may Allah be pleased with him, said in
his collection of authentic hadiths, "The Prophet's sunna,
elaborately explaining what Allah has set forth in general in

1 9 Sayyid Sabiq, op cit. 20 Please refer to chapter one of this book, which deals with pre-Islam
polygamy.

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 concluded) who have made that highly-ignorant claim.
Ibn-Katheer, elucidating the verse of the Quran having to do Some others have gone further to a much worse stretch by
with polygamy, saying, "Allah says marry as many wives as alleging that Allah has licensed men to combine eighteen
two, three or four if you so wish. Allah, Exalted be He, said wives. This all is an example of gross ignorance of both
(Who made the angels messengers with wings - two, or
three, or four), 21 '(2) that is to say that some of those angels language and sunna alike, and flouts the nation's consensus
have two wings, some have three wings while others have as well, as none of the Prophet's companions or followers
four wings. The context here is that of Allah, the Benefactor,
mentioning His boons that He has endowed upon His
who came in subsequent ages was heard of as having
worshippers, and telling them what He has allowed them to married more than four wives."
do. So, if Allah had allowed men to combine more than four
wives, He would have made it clear in the Quran.22
Having cited all the Prophet's hadiths in which he ordered
companions to keep only any four of the wives they had and
to divorce the ones in excess thereof, Al-Qurtubi23 has
stressed that combining nine wives at a time was an
Al-Imarn Al-Qurtubi, refuting the alleged permission for exclusively special thing of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
men to marry more than four wives, has said, "Those who so with divine direction to fulfil certain objectives for the good
claim do neither understand the Quran nor the sunna at all, of the call and message itself. Then, Al-Qurtubi has said,
abandoning what the Muslim nation's ancestors firmly "Allah, Exalted be He, has addressed Arabs in the plainest
believed in. They claimed that the conjunction ('And) in the Arabic style. Arabs, eloquent as they were, never said two
relevant verse is an all-combining one. In fact, it is the jurists and three and four when they mean "nine." Arabs
who belong to the sect of Rafida, or Rafidites (certain completely disagree of an Arab saying: give somebody four,
offshoots of Shiite), and some of those associated with the six and eight instead of out rightly saying eighteen. The
sect of Zahirites (a certain Islamic sect adopting the opinion conjunction "And" in the gracious verse (Two and three and
of taking religious judgments directly from Quran and four wives) simply means :instead of two you may marry
sunna texts as they are on the surface, even literally, three, and instead of three you may marry four wives." "If he
regardless of whatever details, explanations or restrictions gets a fifth wife, the marriage spontaneously turns null and
jurists of other schools of jurisprudence may have void and is even punishable, though scholars have assumed
diverse positions on this," Al-Qurtubi further said. In reply
to a question why Allah has not used the conjunction "Or" in

2 1 Verse number one from the surah of "Fatir", or the Originator of

Creation.
2 2 Ibn-Katheer's book on the interpretation of the Quran, previously 23 Al-Imam Al-Qurtubi in his book "The Book All Inclusive of the Holy
referred to. Quran Provisions".

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the verse instead of "And," Al-Qurtubi has said, "If (or) had disadvantageous to her. However, every individual case has
been used, the verse would have meant that a husband of to be considered independently of others. A husband's
two may not take a third wife, and that a husband of three conscience, self-honesty and religious scruple are apt to
may not take a fourth one, while all this is permitted. dissuade him from inequality to his wife or wives. If,
notwithstanding, a husband insists on having a wife or
wives whom he is not able to adequately and reasonably
Capability to Practice Polygamy
satisfy her sexually, the wife (or wives) thus kept has perfect
right to proceed against him demanding a divorce on
As mentioned before, having access to polygamy primarily grounds of detriment and a fear of having illegal sexual
hinges upon capability. Just as marrying the first wife, affair. A court judge is broadly empowered to assess the
marrying a second, third or fourth wife requires financial, magnitude of detriment in every individual case.
health as well as psychological capability. In the lack of
capability, polygamy is, automatically, not allowed. He who
cannot provide for two households has to suffice himself As to psychological capability, it means an ability to
with only one wife at the center of only one household. A administer justice to the wives kept, in terms of everything
husband of two should content himself with the two unless available, without showing any slant towards one wife, or
he is capable, in terms of both finance and health, of keeping his children by her, against the other wife, or wives or his
a third or fourth wife, and so on. children by her or them.
In the absence of any of the three capability prerequisites
By finance we mean solvency to provide for the children by cited above, polygamy is not, by any means, allowed.
the wife, or wives, kept.
Justice Among Wives
Health capability, in our opinion, is the ability to satisfy
sexual desires of the wives kept, as its imperative on the Allah, Exalted be He, says in the third verse of "Al-Nisaa"
husband to cuter for the legitimate and natural sexual surah, "But if you fear that you shall not be able to deal
desires of his wife or wives. By so doing, he helps his wife, justly, then only one."24 Allah, Exalted be He, also says
or wives, to be sexually chaste. If the husband is sexually "You are never able to be fair and just as between women,
impotent, for example, he is not envisaged as having any even if it is your ardent desire, but do not turn away from a
wife, even a single one, as this does her gross injustice. We woman altogether, lest you should leave her as if she were
also believe that a husband, or them, sexually potent for only hanging in the air. If you come to a friendly understanding,
one wife should not have more wives because he is thus and exercise self-restraint, Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most
doing her injustice, making marriage grossly
24 Verse number 3 of Al-Nisaa surah.

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Merciful.25 So, how can the wording of the two verses of slanting on one of his sides."27 Justice, as mentioned in this
the surah be reconciled? And what are the criteria of the hadith, refers only to expenses and staying overnight, rather
justice required? than in terms of love or heart inclination, as it is Allah who is
in full command of human hearts.
In answer, Al-Imarn Al-Qurtubi says, "Allah, Exalted be He,
has informed His worshippers that justice cannot be meted Ibn-Abbas, Ibn-Jareer, and Al-Hassan Al-Basry said that "As
out to the wives in terms of affection, making love and heart
inclination. Allah, Exalted be He, most properly described if she were hanging" means: do not turn away from her,
human disposition, making it perfectly clear that humans leaving her neither divorced to get another husband nor
cannot, by nature, take command of their hearts slanting married by a husband who will take care of her and meet
heavier towards one or the other. In view of this all, Prophet
Muhammad used to fairly deal with his wives in terms of her legitimate rights.
expenses, then said, (0 Allah, this is the way I was able to
mete out justice to my wives in terms of what I have control
over; so Allah do not blame me for what I do not have Qatada has interpreted the word as meaning: do not turn
control over and which falls only under your control). Then away from her, leaving her as if she were imprisoned. Ubbay
Allah has forbidden excessive turning away from a wife to
another by saying (Do not turn away from a woman son of Qaab, may Allah be pleased with him, would read the
altogether), namely do not deliberately do her harm - as verse in Arabic to sound the Arabic word which means
Mujahid reported - but deal justly in terms of staying
overnight and expenses as these two are well under one's
"Imprisoned."
control.”26

Ibn-Masoud, may Allah be pleased with him, would read

the verse in Arabic to sound like "leaving her as if she were
hanging." These are all ways of reciting the Holy Quran,
only to clarify the meaning; as thus they should not be
regarded as a change in the wording of the Holy Quran -
Allah forbid...
Abu-Huraira quoted Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
him, as saying, "He who has two wives to whom he had not Sheikh Sayyid Sabiq asserts, "Justice as required by Allah is
meted out justice, will be coming on the Day of Judgement only the external one of which one is capable, rather than
justice in terms of love and affection. No one is capable of
2 5 Verse number 129 of Al-Nisaa surah.

2 6 Al-Imarn Al-Qurtubi in his book "The Book All Inclusive of the Holy
Quran Provisions", the chapter on the interpretation of verse 129 of 27 T he hadith was reported by Abu-Dawoud, Al-Nasa'i, Ibn-Majah and
"Al-Nisaa" surah. Al-Termidhy.

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the latter; the justice denied is the one having to do with husband is not required to give out equal sentiments to them
affection, love and making love to."28 all, as a human being cannot ever do so because it is far
beyond the scope of human volition. And this exactly the
Muhammad son of Sireen, may Allah be pleased with him, kind of justice which Allah has described by saying "And
said, "Upon asking Ubaida about this verse, he replied: you will never be able to deal fairly with them, even if you
"Justice cannot ever be achieved in terms of love or making so ardently desire). This verse is manipulatively used by
love." some as a false pretext to ban polygamy, whereas the verse
does not so mean. Allah's Shari'aa is not so jocular to pass
and adopt a certain pattern of behavior in one verse and
Abu-Bakr son of Al-Arabi, talking about love and affection bans it in another; Allah's Shari'aa does not ever give out
in question, has said, "no one can control love. Emanating something with the right hand and take it away with the left.
from the heart, love cannot be taken control of, as it is Allah,
the Beneficent, alone who can dispose of humans' hearts.
The same applies to making love: a husband may be
Justice urged by the verse is in terms of expenses, dealing
particularly sexually active with a wife of his, while being and making love to. This is exactly the justice without which
less active with another. If he is not so deliberately, he is not a husband may not take more than one wife. It applies
guilty. He cannot control his emotion, so he is not so mainly to external matters which have to be fully catered for
by a husband - nothing short thereof -in such a way that a
assigned." wife is not favored by something at the expense of the other,
Al-Imarn Al-Khatabi has said, "Things should be fairly in terms of expenses and making love. A case in point is the
splendid example set by Prophet Muhammad, peace be
distributed by a husband to all the wives whom he has, so upon him, who is the mankind's loftiest man. He used to
long as those wives are not captive slaves. Inadvisable is mete out justice, although everyone was perfectly
one's inclination towards one wife more than the other, or knowledgeable that he loved Aisha better. However, he did
not ever prefer her to others in terms of staying overnight or
others, resulting in (material) rights not properly catered for, expenses." 29
rather than the inclination of hearts which cannot be
controlled."

The deceased Sayyid Qutb, a prominent figure of the

Muslim Brotherhood says, "What is really required is justice In a nutshell, one's heart inclination or love for a wife more
in terms of dealing, expenses, and sexual intercourse. A than the others should, as we believe, be imprisoned within

2 8 Fiqh Asunnah", by Sheikh Sayyid Sabiq, volume two, the chapter on 29 "In the Shades of the Holy Quran", by Sayyid Qutb, volume one, edition
family system. published by Darel Shrouk publishing house.

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one's bosom, rather than rendered into action that will hurt
the feelings, or undermine the interests, of the rest of his In conclusion, if it were true that the verse number 129 of
wives or their children in favor of the most beloved wife or "Al-Nisaa" bans polygamy - as it has made it categorically
her children. clear that administering justice to wives is impossible -
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, together with his
We are, above all, humans rather than angels. Therefore, companions, would have divorced their wives as soon as the
everybody should be content with justice in terms of matters verse had descended, contenting themselves with one wife
which are within human control: absolute justice exists only each. As we have authoritatively been told, none of them
in the Hereafter with Allah, Exalted be He, in Whose had so done - Allah forbid that the prophet or any of his
presence no one is ever done injustice, while there is no way companions would flout Allah's orders to divorce extra
to compel humans to equally administer feelings and wives, if Allah has ever so ordered.
sentiments.
Accordingly, polygamy is truly allowed until the Day of
Allah, Exalted be He, will mercifully and justly compensate Judgement. In support of this is a hadith which says,
"Women are doomed to survive, while men will be so few
the wife who does not bask in her hsuband's love or favor. If that every fifty women will have a corresponding one man
she is patient and fearful of Allah, she will be generously to control, and take care of".
compensated with whatever is good, both in this mundane This hadith carries a prophecy that will come true in yet
other generations to come, and fall within those prophetic
world and the hereafter. Being locked in a situation of not traditions dealing with the signs of the then-approaching
basking in her husband's love may be a visitation by Allah to Doomsday. It is, however, significant as to our issue of
her, for which Allah will reward her on condition that she be polygamy and the imbalance in the number of the two
genders.30
patient and obedient to Allah's orders. In this context, we
have to remind such a wife that her continued stay with her
husband - though not fully enjoying his love, while still
having full access to her rights and her children's - is far
better to her than abhorrent divorce and total deprivation of
all that. Division of time and Money Among Wives

In jurists jargon, the word "division" refers to meting out

This mundane world is not an eternal one, with ultimately justice to the wives a husband keeps in terms of staying
defective and profane amenities. It is there in paradise,
rather than on Earth, where there is never-ending boons and 30 T his hadith is reported by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Al-Termedhy, Al-Nasa'i
perfect happiness. and Ibn Majah.

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overnight, expenses and others.31 A husband is obliged to to protect the entity of the family and to stem any possible
equally divide food, staying overnight, clothing and residing disagreement.
among his wives.
Jurists have attached conditions to dividing matters among
All the other material matters have also to be equally wives.
divided among them, regardless of the wives being rich or
poor, of high class or not. If a husband fears injustice and
inability to fully cater for their rights, he is not empowered The first of such conditions is being the state of mind: a
to combine more than one wife.32 person who is mentally deranged is not obliged to divide
among his wives; but an insane wife should have full access
to sharing with other wives things dealt out by their
What really counts as far as expenses are concerned as given husband, on condition that she be tranquil and quiet, not go
preponderance by the followers of Abu-Hanifa, known in into fits and be permanently staying in her husband's house
Arabic as Ahnaf - is the solvency or not of the husband, for ease, by him, of sexual intercourse with her. Otherwise,
regardless of the wives' conditions. Consequently, all the she has no right to sharing things.
wives kept by a husband should be equally dealt with in
terms of expenses, which naturally involve the upkeeping
The second condition attached is being that the husband
(providing enough food and water), clothing and housing should be adult. For a wife it is not necessary be pubescent,
for the wives. Saying otherwise in apt to trigger off but she should at least stand sexual intercourse. If the
disagreement and to nourish rancor and enmity among the husband is not pubescent and has, consequently, done
injustice to one of his wives, it is his guardian who is
wives and their children by the same husband. implicated, simply because it was his guardian who married
him off and responsibility has to be blamed on him.33

Accordingly, perfect justice has to be dealt out in terms of

expenses and altogether material matters. A father, in our
belief, should also be keen enough not to make publicly felt The third condition attached is being that the wife should
his love sentiments of one specific wife, if he loves her better not be a recalcitrant one. If the wife is disobedient, always
than the others. A husband should be wise and sage enough exhibiting unwillingness to obey her husband's orders, she
has then no right to share her husband, or what he gives out,
with the other wives. Sharing spousal care is not draped by
3 1 "Islamic Fiqh Along the Four Schools of Fiqh", volume 4, the chapter any impediment to sexual intercourse, whether this
on personal status.

3 2 Fiqh Asunna". BV Sheikh Savvid Sabia. volume two. 33 Fiqh Along the Four Schools of Fiqh", volume four.

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impediment be a wife menstruation, post-birth bleeding or to stay overnight with his wife every four nights, while
illness; Or whether this impediment be on the part of the devoting his three other nights to worshipping.
husband, such as illness or impotency. This is because
staying overnight with a wife does not necessarily carry And there is also the most probable verdict cited before,
sexual intercourse; staying overnight is primarily intended urging a husband that he should have sexual intercourse
for entertaining, rather than necessarily sexual intercourse. If with each of his wives reasonably and adequately to make
a husband is so ill that he cannot move, he may stay with her sexually content and distract her from thinking of any
whomever he believes will serve and nurse him better. other man.

This judgement is drawn from what Prophet Muhammad, Hanifites, or the followers of Abu-Hanifa, believe that a
peace be upon him, did when he was taken gravely ill judge - if the wife proceeds against her husband - should
immediately before his death. Having been ill on his death pass a ruling in favor of the wife being slept with every now
bed, the prophet, peace be upon him, was granted common and then in the way he deems sufficient to make her sexually
consent by his wives, may Allah be pleased with them, to abstinent.
stay with his wife Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her.
They so did because they realized how much he loved her
Malikites, or the followers of Imam Malik, believe that a
and how satisfied he was with her nursing him.
husband is forbidden to intentionally abstain from having
sex with one of his wives, during her allotted time, on the
Under no circumstances a wife should be deliberately left grounds of saving his strength and vigor for sleeping with
without sexual intercourse pleading that he does not love another one whom he enjoys better. So, if he is staying with
her. A situation as such is apt to send her acting perversely the allotted one and felt sufficiently sexually excited to have
and corruptly. If he does not really intend to reasonably and sexual intercourse, but he did not, to keep his energy for the
adequately make love to her - in order to make her sexually most beautiful wife, he is considered guilty. He is sinful
satisfied - he should inevitably divorce her, and may Allah because his willful delay of sexual intercourse is rightly
send her a husband who is better than he is, and send him a believed to exact a heavy toll on the allotted one, even if she
better wife than she is. is neither actually harmed nor did complain.
There is a sound opinion that a wife has perfect right to have
her husband staying with her overnight every four nights,
on the grounds that a husband can keep four wives. It is A husband may also share things equally with his wives in
exactly the same right granted to a monogamist who is accordance with his condition: if he works diurnally, he
preoccupied with worshipping or work, in which case he has should share his time with them nocturnally; if the other
way round' in case he be a watchman for example, he should

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share time with them diurnally. Every wife can have, for Hanbalites do make an additional curious ruling: a husband
example, a night or day or two days or nights. He may also may not have access at night to any other wife except for the
share time with them as follows: every wife a solid week or allotted one unless she is in deep distress, such as being on
more, on condition of getting their common consent, though her death bed and wishing to make a will, or the like of only
this opinion is diversely elaborated by various schools of grave matters. By day, he may have access to the unallotted
fiqh34 (jurisprudence). one (whose turn has not yet come) for doing something
urgently, on condition that he should not stay long with her;
if he stays longer, he should compensate the allotted one -
A husband is forbidden to have sexual intercourse with
with whom he should have spent the day - by spending
anyone apart from the allotted wife for that night nor is he another day with her. If he has sexual intercourse with the
allowed to kiss another one apart from her. However, he can
unallotted one, he should have sexual intercourse with the
have access to the residence of his wife, or wives, who is not, allotted one (he should have one more time of sexual
or are not, allotted for that day or night if necessity should
intercourse with her in compensation), to the contrary of a
arise or if she, or they, needed expenses, wanted him to verdict formulated by Shafi'ites, the followers of Imam
come to see the children or to do them any indispensable
Al-Shafi'i.
need.

Hanbalites, or the followers of Ibn-Hanbal, believe that As for getting a new wife, we believe as more highly apt that
division among wives should be on the basis of only one verdict formulated by Hanifites that all wives, be they old or
night each and nothing in excess for any of them unless they new, should have equal access to staying with their
so commonly consent. husband. As well, a virgin or matron (previously married)
should also be dealt with on a par with each other. If a
Spending the night with anyone of them, a husband may, as husband gets a new wife, whether she be a virgin or matron,
usual, go out to mosque for praying as well as leave her to he should start his marital life by staying with her: he should
honor a promise, fulfil a duty or the like. Nevertheless, he spend seven nights with her if she is virgin and three nights
may not deliberately go out more often during the night or if she is matron. His old wives have to be compensated for
day of the allotted one than the nights or days of the others. this period of time he spent with the new one.
If he so does, he will be dealing injustice out to her (unless Dealing out justice to wives so requires, as exhibited by
she otherwise consents). Prophet Muhammad's, peace be upon him, sunnah.
However, a husband may begin his rotation with his wives
with the new one, then give the others their due days or
nights in proportion to what he has spent with the new one.
3 4 Fiqh Along the four Schools of Fiqh", volume four.

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A wife may cede her nuptial allotted time to another wife in another one to go, and so on. If it is difficult to do so either,
return for something or without. If she cedes this allotted he has, inevitably, to divorce the one whom he does not
time to another wife but then made up her mind to go back want and retain the one whom he wants to have with him
on it, she is so allowed.35 where he will be settled for good. The case in question is not
precisely travelling for work or for tourism, but it is rather
final emigration. Therefore, he may not desert some of his
wives and take the others unless they commonly give
Sawda daugther of Zamaa - a wife of the nine wives kept by consent which is almost impossible as an unwanted wife will
lose her husband, once and for all, if he so leaves.36
Prophet Muhammed at his death, peace be upon him, whose
running epithet was, along with them all, "Mother of the
Faithful" - has once ceded her allotted night to Aisha,
another "Mother of the Faithful" as she knew the prophet
loved Aisha better than he loved her. Sawda has thus set the If travel is temporary for trade, haj (pilgrimage), calling for
most splendid example of selflessness, nobility and Islam in a non-Muslim nation, medical treatment, tourism or
generosity, preferring to please Allah and His apostle to this others, the verdict we deem as apter is that a husband
profane world, contenting herself with the fact that she will should draw a lot among his wives to identify the one to
be resurrected among the prophet's wives - and suffice be it accompany him. The period of this temporary travel should
a blessing. not be reckoned as within the calendar of the wives: it is
exclusively the share of the one who has won the lot and the
other wives are not to be compensated for after travel.
In case the husband plans to travel, a distinction should be
made between leaving one's place for another to settle down
(like leaving rural areas for Cairo or Alexandria, or even If a wife travels alone, she should not be compensated for
leaving a country for another for good), one the on hand, what she has missed during her absence. If all wives go with
and transitory travel for some time after which a husband their husband, he should share his time with them as he
will come back home where his wives are residing, on the used to do in his earlier country.
other.
And finally, may a husband have all of his wives one place?
If the husband is travelling to another country for finally
settling down, he should, if possible, take all of his wives, or Jurists believe that if the husband's house has many flats or it
he should, instead, draw a lot among them to take the is a multi-story house, with each of those flats or stories
winning one for some time and then bring her back for having a private door and utilities which are perfectly

3 5 The previous reference. 36 T he previous reference.

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independent of the rest of flats (a private toilet, kitchen, a hurts the sentiments of other wives, and ridiculously arouses
place for a clothes line), the husband may rightfully combine instincts and rancor among them. It also trespasses on the
all of his wives in such a house, even if they do not consent
individually. What counts is that each of the wives will have
decency of the one with whom the husband is sleeping in
a privately independent flat in isolation of the others.37 front of the others.

Man, whom Allah has honorably created, presumably

If the house has a residence which has only one door which diverges widely from dumb animals, and, keeping this
hinges into a single room or even a set of rooms, with a divergence in mind, sound and unblemished human nature
shared toilet and kitchen, a husband may combine all of his rejects sexual intercourse as done in such a way as in front of
wives as such only when they all give consent. The same others. Even some animals, like cats, can impossibly
rule applies when they are all travelling and have to stay in copulate with each other while being closely watched by
one room or the same tent (as if travelling for haj, for human, or even closely without seeing them. And "Exalted
example) in which case they can be combined by a husband, be He who has given to each created thing its form and
whether they so consent or not (a case in point is the nature, and has further given it guidance".
crammed tents of pilgrims at Minna and Arafat).
Malikites have made a fatwa (religious judgment) that a man
making love to a wife while the other wife, or wives, is, or We also believe that a husband may step up the expenses of
are, watching is "haram" - a term used by jurists to brand one wife than the other, or others, under certain
anything which is not permitted at all by religion and which circumstances, including having more children than the
carries a punishment by Allah for anyone doing it - rather others. For example, if a husband gives a wife having five
than just "disapproved of". children six loaves, while giving the one with three children
four loaves, he will not, axiomatically, be dealing out
inequality to either of them. This division is exactly the core
of justice, as it takes into account that every individual will
Sleeping with a wife in front of the others is not permitted
have a loaf. Consequently, if one of the wives is gravely ill
under any circumstances, whether the wife being slept with
and needs medication, the other wives should thank Allah
is fully exposed to the others or not.38 We fully support this
for having good health and need not request that the; be
sound verdict by Malikites. In fact, sexual intercourse as
paid a corresponding sum of money as the ill one receives
such is not permitted from the humanitarian viewpoint, as it
from a husband for medication.

3 7 The previous reference.

If a wife-to-be attaches a string, when concluding the
3 8 The previous reference. marriage contract that her would-be husband should not

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take another wife in addition to her, the husband should
observe the condition by not marrying anyone unless the
Chapter Six
first wife consents and cedes the condition attached. A
hadith by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, reads,
THE APOSTLE’S WIVES
"The conditions which most deserve to be fully met are those As said before, the foes of Isalm have desperately been
which are attached to marriage." The hadith, as reported by attempting, since Islam dawned on humanity up till now, to
both Al-Bukhari and Muslim, obviously urges that disparage, and call into serious question, Islam, using the
conditions attached to marriage are the ones, which deserve plurality of wives the prophet married to try to deal Islam a
most to be respectfully fulfilled. fatal blow.

They have always been claiming that the prophet was

absolutely devoted to fully satisfying his lust by rolling in
the bosoms of nine wives!! When this claim was initially
made by Jews in Yathreb39 - which was later to be known as
Madina after Hijra - the Holy Quran has eloquently exposed
their allegation as motivated only by envy for, and
covetousness of, the prophet since the two prophets Dawood
(David) and Soliman (Solomon), peace be upon them both,
had been bestowed with a large Kingdom each and had had
many more wives and captive female slaves than Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him, had.

Orientalists outside, as well as secularists and leftists inside,

are still cheekily talking disparagingly about the prophet's
lofty position and his purified sunna (traditions) out of
malice towards this religion. However, Allah will be
safeguarding His religion, despite their ill will, until Allah
inherits the Earth and whoever is on it.

39 Refer to the introduction of this book.

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Some others follow suit because they do not know why the to Syria, promising to pay him as twice as she used to pay
prophet married so many women. Profound look at his others who performed the same task. Muhammad, peace be
impeccable biography will easily show that some of those
marriages were primarily catering for human motivation,
upon him, took her money for trade in Syria, accompanied
while some others were meant to reassure estranged hearts by her boy slave Maysara. There, he traded, coming back to
and souls as well as to lay the ground ready for the first seed Mecca with a multifold profit far in excess of what others
of the blessed call for Islam. Moreover, the prophet, peace be
upon him, had a natural right and desire to marry because used to earn for Khadija during the same journey. Khadija as
he was a human being, rather than an angel. As we have previously promised doubly paid him.
said before, marriage has been set forth in the tenets of all of
Allah's prophets (even in the tenet of those who did not ever
marry like Jesus and Yahia (John the Baptist), peace be upon
them both). None
Upon knowing from her boy slave, Maysara, about his
of the four gospels stipulated a ban on polygamy.40 miracles, peace be upon him, during the journey: a cloud
shaded him and a clergyman telling Maysara that his fellow
Muhammad would be the ultimate apostle to be sent by
Allah, as heralded by previous holy books, Muhammad
tickled her fancy more and more, and she presented herself
to him for marriage through her female friend Nafeesa
daughter of Umaya. Although Khadija was forty years old,
Let us begin with Khadija, the prophet's first wife. Khadija, the prophet agreed to marry her and was then at the age of
the daughter of Khuwailed, may Allah be pleased with her,
twenty-five.
had, before Islam's advent, been married to Hend son of
Nabbash of the Tamim tribe, whose epithet was Abu-Hala. Khadija gave birth to all of Muhammad's children -boys and
After his death, she married Ateeq son of Abed of the girls- except for his son Ibrahim, who was born later in his
Makhzourn tribe.41 Then Ateeq died as well. life by Mary, the Coptic female slave given as a gift to the
prophet by Al-Mukawkis, the religious leader of Egypt's
Copts. The prophet, peace be upon him, never married any
Khadija belonged to one of the Quraish tribe's loftiest other woman until Khadija died at the age of sixty-five,
households in terms of lineage. She had an enormous while he was only a little more than fifty years old.
wealth, which she used in trade. She used to send some men,
with her money on trade missions to Syria. When she heard
of Muhammad's (peace be upon him) integrity, she sent for Now, we have to rightfully wonder: if the prophet, peace be
him and requested him to take her money on a trade mission upon him, had lived up to the age of twenty-five without
marriage, if he was highly commended by all of Mecca's
4 0 Refer to chapter one, "Polygamy Before Islam". people as the honest man of integrity, if his chaste and
4 1 "Al-Tabaqat Al-Qubra" (or Generations of the Prophet's Companions) sexual abstinence were exemplary - as conceded by the most

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hardened, rancorous and hateful of Mecca's polytheists -, later married younger ones who were, probably, more
and if he later married Khadija, who was fifteen years his beautiful than she was.
senior, and contented himself with her as an only wife even
after she exceeded sixty years of age, if all these facts have Is it fair enough to describe a husband as such as marrying
been true, what lust is there they claim to have motivated his primarily for lust!? Can such a spouse be so ill thought of
so many marriages while he was commended by Allah, the Exalted, as having
"Great manners" - Allah forbid.
The prophet, peace be upon him, was then in the prime of
his youth and had not been preoccupied as yet with the Now, we have to shed light on the circumstances under
heavy burdens of his blessed call for Islam. If he had been which the prophet, peace be upon him, married his second
sweepingly lustful, as the foes of Islam claim, he would have wife, Sawda daughter of Zamaa, may Allah be pleased with
married as many women as he could, as polygamy and her. She was married, during the pre-Islam period to
taking concubines was a very common pre-Islam practice, as Al-Sakraan son of Amre son of Abd-Shams, who was also
said before,42 without any limit. her cousin. Having both embraced Islam in Mecca, they
However, the prophet, peace be upon him, never so did. Is went out on the second emigration to Abyssinia. Having
not this an evidence that he took many wives later for loftier come back from Abyssinia, her husband died in Mecca and
reasons than merely satisfying his lust, though satisfying she became a widow. When she spent a period of four
lust should not in itself be considered a shame? months and ten days after her husband's death - as a Muslim
wife should so spend after her husband's death without
marriage to mak6 sure that she is not pregnant by de
Still, there is one more point to explain, before moving to deceased husband - the prophet, peace be upon him, sent for
other wives, which is the fact that he always highly her and proposed marriage to her. Following the marriage
commended, and remained faithful to, Khadija after her she emigrated with him to Madina.
death. Even after he had taken nine other wives, he was
really furious whenever anybody ill-mentioned her, even if
it was Aisha. He used every possible occasion to sing She had grown older by the time the prophet proposed
Khadija's praises, citing her being very gracious to the great marriage to her. With their marriage getting older, she ceded
call for Islam. He never forgot her though she was the oldest her allotted time to another wife of the prophet, who was
of all those whom he married throughout his life and he Aisha. Ceding her allotted time, she said to the prophet, as
reported by one narrator, "Oh you the apostle of Allah, I
swear by Allah that I don't crave for men any more
4 2 Refer to chapter one, "Polygamy Before Islam". (referring to the fact that she was old and was not lustful any

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longer) but I pray that I would be resurrected among your
wives on the Day of Judgement". The prophet, peace be The fourth wife was Hafsa, the daughter of his other senior
upon him, accepted her ceding her allotted time to Aisha companion Omar son of Al-Khattab. He married Hafsa
and retained her as his wife until his death,43peace be upon partly as the previous marriage, namely because she was his
him. So, can his marriage to another old lady, like Sawda, be companion's daughter, and partly to please Omar himself.
taken as evidence that the prophet's (peace be upon him) Omar had offered his daughter in marriage to his
polygamy was meant, as mongered by the foes of Islam, companion Abu-Bakr after his daughter's husband, Khanees
only for lust and craving for women!!? Or cannot it be better son of Hudhafa of the Sahm tribe, died in action at the battle
described as an act of consolation by him, peace be upon of Uhud.44 He and Hafsa had embraced Islam and
him, for a Muslim widow who had no one to provide for emigrated to Madina, then he died upon the coming back of
her, nor had she any wealth, youth or beauty that would the prophet from the Uhud battle. Having spent four months
have prompted anyone else to marry her?! By Allah, such an and ten days after her husband's death, she was offered in
unyearned-for marriage was among his burdens, peace be marriage to Abu-Bakr by her father Omar. Abu-Bakr
upon him, and a heavy duty his noble soul thought it was declined and Omar was upset. Omar had earlier done the
imperative to do. Who else would have consoled a bereaved same thing to Othman son of Affan, another senior
widow? And who else would have helped anyone to his feet companion of the prophet, but he declined, and Omar was
after having slipped, would have broken captivity or would also upset with him.
have helped to forbear misfortunes? It was he, peace be
upon him, who would do so, since it was he who was sent as
a mercy to the entire mankind? Complaining them both to the prophet, peace be upon him,
Aisha, the daughter of his companion Abu-Bakr AI-Siddeeq, the prophet married her in order to please her father Omar.
may Allah be pleased with them both, was the third wife of The prophet had also earlier honored Abu-Bakr by marrying
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. It was natural that his daughter Aisha, as shown above. Abu-Bakr declined to
a preacher be closely tied to the men who would later erect accept Hafsa as a wife when offered by Omar because he
the lofty edifice of Islam and who would promote the call for had heard the prophet, peace be upon him, mention that he
Allah to the four comers of the globe. The best tie between would marry her. Abu-Bakr would not disclose what he
the prophet, peace be upon him, and his senior companions heard the prophet say. Anyway, Hafsa was not a beautiful
was the sacred tie of marriage. Therefore, he, peace be upon lady, as Aisha or Safiyia, but she used to fast and pray at
him, married Aisha, who was then very young. night a lot and loved Allah and his apostle.

4 3 "Al-Tabapt AI-Qubra", by Ibn-Saad. 44 Usdul-Ghaba, "volume two".

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So, can his marriage to both Aisha and Hafsa be considered daughter of Suhail son of Al-Mughira of the Makhzoum
craving for women or satisfying one's lust? Or can it better tribe, she had been married before the prophet, peace be
considered a necessity for strengthening the call for Allah, upon him, to his paternal cousin Abdullah son of
pleasing his senior campaign and bolstering ties between the Abdul-Assad of the Makhzoum tribe. Her husband was
prophet and the senior men in charge of the nascent call for wounded at the battle of Uhud, and one month later his
Islam? Was not it consoling a martyr's widow like Hafasa wounds healed. He then went out on a short-term,
who was not such a beautiful or wealthy lady that would not one-month military offensive. Having come back, his
have tempted anyone else to marry her. It was the prophet wounds relapsed sending him to his death, may Allah be
who was a mercy and boon offered by Allah to mankind. pleased with him. Abu-Salama left behind Umm.-Salama
and a lot children.

As for Zainab, the daughter of Khuzaima, whose epithet was

"Umm Al-Masakeen" (or Mother of the Poor), may Allah be Having spent a period of four months and ten days after her
pleased with her, she was the wife of his cousin Ubaida son husband's death, she received a marriage proposal from the
prophet, peace be upon him. However, she declined,
of Al-Hareth son of Abdul-Muttaleb, may Allah be pleased pleading that she was very jealous, old-aged and having so
with him. He fell in action as a martyr at the battle of Badr many children. The prophet replied to her by saying "As for
and left her with no one to provide for her. So, was it fair your cited jealousy, Allah will send it diminishing; as for
your old age, I am older than you are; and as for your
enough to reward a companion, who was also a martyred orphans, Allah and His apostle will be in charge of them".45
cousin, by leaving his widow alone?! Who else would have
maintained a relation of one's kith and kin, rewarded a
martyr and benevolently, advantageously and mercifully
replaced him with his widow except for Muhammad, peace That is to say, Allah and His apostle will take care of her
be upon him, the last of the prophets who was all children. This was a reason for the prophet to have
throughout his life known as the candid and trustworthy!!? blessingly got married to her: to take care of orphans and be
Can such a marriage be regarded as having been motivated fully in charge of this revered female companion having
by any sensual, or other, craving?! Or must not it be viewed been widowed. And ultimately, the marriage was also in
as an additional burden on the prophet's shoulders?! honor of the deceased husband Abu-Salama, who had fallen
However, she died, may Allah be pleased with her, only a as a martyr, by taking care of his widow and children and
few months after she married the prophet. maintaining good relations with one's kith and kin as his
mother was a maternal aunt of the prophet. So what lust was

Then the prophet, peace be upon him, married

Umm-Salama, may Allah be pleased with her. Named Hend 45 "Tabaqat", by Ibn-Saad.

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there behind marrying a widow who was fifty-plus years of The Negus did as ordered by the prophet and sent fully
age and taking care of her children? honored, to him in Madina after his hijra.

As for Umm-Habiba (Ramlah) daughter of Abu-Sufyan son Upon knowing of his daughter's marriage to the prophet,
of Harb, may Allah be pleased with her, she has a story to be peace be upon him, Abu-Sufyan was very much delighted
told in order to clarify the noble aim envisaged by this and, rejoicingly, commended Muhammad as the best and
marriage. Umm-Habiba was a wife of Ubaidullah son of most competent ever son-in - law. Abu-Sufyan son of Harb
Gahsh son of Khuzaimah. They left for Abyssinia on the said so although he was still an infidel and a foe of Islam.
second wave of emigration, which was ordered by the However, he candidly believed, as a father regardless of
prophet, peace be upon him, to spare the early Muslim faith, that his daughter married humanity's greatest and
believers the brunt of infidels' coerciveness. There, noblest men.
Ubaidullah converted to polytheism and became a renegade
- Allah forbid - while his wife Umm-Habiba, may Allah be
pleased with her, remained steadfastly holding on to her Allah's willing was that time was around again and it so
faith, despite alienation, forlornness and loneliness. took place that Abu-Sufyan came to Madina to dissuade the
However, she could not have gone back to Mecca, where her prophet from conquering Mecca after infidels had breached
father was a hardened leader of the tribe of Quraish, who peace with him. The infidels of Mecca had attacked and
used to coercively deal with, most persecute, the apostle and killed the prophet's allies of Khuzaa tribe in Mecca, the
his companions. If she had returned, she must have been sanctuary of Allah, during a "Haram" or sacred month (one
prone to being suppressed out of her faith, in return. of four months during which fighting is prohibited by
Therefore, she should have been honored, and compensated Islam).
for a renegade deceased husband, by the prophet (her
husband had died earlier in Abyssinia). Feeling at a loss after the senior companions had declined to
intercede for him with the prophet, peace be upon him,
Abu-Sufyan had to resort only to his daughter's house.
So, Allah's apostle, who used to cure people's broken hearts Having arrived there, his daughter, much to his own
and entertain those who are forlorn, sent to the Negus - the surprise, furled her mattress from him most disgustingly.
Emperor of Abyssinia, who had embraced Islam - ordering On seeing this he said to her, "By Allah, my daughter, I do
him to write out, on his behalf, his marriage contract to not know you did not want me to touch the mattress?"
imm-Habiba. Flatly, she replied by saying "It is because this is the
prophet's, peace be upon him, and you are still a polytheist
infidel".

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 he wanted her for himself. Much to their surprise, he wanted
Good heavens! It was a faith as deeply rooted and to marry her off to Zayd son of Haritha.
unshakable in the heart of the prophet's wife as a mountain
which made her so daringly face up to her father who Having been a slave in pre-Islam times, Zayd, may Allah be
generated her. The incidence provides a vivid example of pleased with him, had ended up as a slave under the candid
how truthful and deep faith makes Allah and His apostle and trustworthy prophet, Muhammad son of Abdullah, who
more beloved, to a true Muslim, than his mother, father, son fairly dealt with him. The prophet, peace be upon him, so
and brother. affectionately and compassionately influenced him that
Zayd preferred to stay with him for ever to going back with
his father and uncle (having been in pursuit of him after
After all, was the prophet, peace be upon him, required to let
being sold as a slave, his father and uncle finally found him
that great lady down to lose the right path having been torn
with the prophet and came to take him back). At that point,
between a renegade husband and a flagrant infidel father?!
the prophet asked them to stand witness that he was
Who else than he, peace be upon him, would have rushed to
adopting Zayd as a son by saying, "Zayd is my son and we
honor and reward her for her steadfastness, patience and
mutually inherit each other". His lineal father so consented.
struggle for her faith and message? And who else would
have been more equal to the daughter of a Quraish noble
man than the prophet, peace be upon him, who is the head
Although the prophet enfranchised and adopted Zayd (later
of all ancestors and descendants to come until the Day of
Islam dismantled the adoption system resulting in Zayd
Judgement?!
regaining his name and freedom even before that) the family
of Jahsh turned down the marriage proposal made by Zayd,
Now, we come to the story behind his marriage, peace be claiming that their daughter, among other girls, belonged to
upon him, to Zainab daugher of Jahsh of the Assad tribe, a noble and dignified family and was most sought after by
may Allah be pleased with her, who was his cousin as she the best youth of Arabian Peninsula.
was the daughter of his paternal aunt Umayma daughter of
Abdul-Muttaleb son of Hashem. She thus belonged to one of However, Allah Exalted be He, so desired that this marriage
Quraish's most thoroughbred noble and lofty households. should forgo ahead for a great wise reason, even a multitude
She was also reported as having been charmingly beautiful. of reasons. The most important of these reasons is being
dismantling the common practice of boasting lineal descents
When the prophet, peace be upon him, sent someone to in order to confirm, and send more deeply rooted, the
propose marriage to her, her family mistakenly thought that eternal, immaculate and sage rule that "The most honored of
you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you", the

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most righteous - rather than the wealthiest, the most was further revealed to, would absolutely uproot the
thorough bred or noblest. pre-Islam practice of adoption. The more fair and righteous
procedure, Allah told His prophet, is to call children by the
On that occasion, Allah sent down His verse from the surah names of their real fathers, rather than by the names of those
of "Al-Ahzab", or clans, which reads, "It is not fitting for a adopting them. If Islam has, forever, forbidden a father to
believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by marry his daughter-in - law, the case is not so with an
Allah and His apostle to have any option about their adopted son, as he is not a real son and should not so be.
decision. If any one disobeys Allah and His apostle, he is
indeed on a clearly wrong path". As soon as the above verse Allah, Exalted be He, sent down another verse of the surah
had been sent down, Abdullah son of Jahsh and his sister of "A]-Ahzab", or clans, marking the same occasion. The
Zainab, may Allah be pleased with them, acknowledged that verse reads, "Behold! you did say to one who had received
the only option they have was to fully obey Allah and His the grace of Allah and your favor: Retain your wife in your
apostle. So, Abdullah told his maternal cousin Muhammad, wedlock and fear Allah. But you did hide in your heart that
peace be upon him, "I will do whatever you order me". And which Allah was about to make manifest: You did fear
so he, peace be upon him married her off to Zayd son of people, but it is more fitting that you should fear Allah. Then
Haritha. when Zayd had dissolved (his marriage), with her, with the
necessary (formality), We jointed her in marriage to you: In
order that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the
Although the marriage was fully consummated, Zainab still believers in marriage with the wives of their adopted sons
turned her nose up at him, pleading that she was more when the latter have dissolved their marriage with them.
thorough bred. So persistently had she been doing so, that And Allah's command must be fulfilled".
Zayd, may Allah be pleased with him, could not endure her
anymore. Complaining her to the prophet, he requested his
consent to divorce her, on the grounds that he could not live The best interpretation of this verse - (it is the best because it
with her any longer. The prophet, peace be upon him, is the closest to the noble position of prophets, whose
ordered him to be pious enough, so fear Allah that he should infallibility is unanimously agreed beyond any doubt) - is
retain her as his wife. provided by Imam Ali son of Al-Hussain son of Ali son of
Abu-Taleb, whose epithet is Zainul-abideen (which means
In the meantime, Allah, Exalted be He, revealed to the the most devoted to worshipping), may Allah be pleased
prophet the future events that Jay in store with Allah: Zayd with him.
was to divorce Zainab, whom Allah would then marry off to
His truthful prophet. The procedure as such, the prophet

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Shedding light on this verse, he said, "Prophet Muhammad, interpreters and well-established scholars who do not accept
peace be upon him, had earlier received revelation to the any historical incidents unless they thoroughly verify them.
On top of those ulema (eminent scholars) are AI-Zuhry, Bakr
effect that Zayd would divorce Zainab and Allah would son of Al-Alaa Al-Qushairy, Abu-Bakr son of Al-Arabi as
marry him off to her. So, when Zayd complained to the well as others".46
prophet, peace be upon him, that his wife, Zainab, had been
harmfully disobedient to him and that he planned to divorce
her, the prophet, peace be upon him, said to him by way of
Imam Ibn-Katheer, may Allah be pleased with him, has
politely advising him (Be fearful of Allah and retain your adamantly refused to acknowledge as authentic any other
wife), although he, peace be upon him, had known in historical accounts - cited in the context of elucidating its
advance that Zayd would divorce her and he would be verse - which runs on a collision course with the infallibility,
and the lofty position, of the prophet, branding such
replacing him as her husband. It was exactly this knowledge, accounts as concocted ones which lack authenticity both in
as referred to by the verse that the prophet hid in his heart. terms of the chain of narrators and in terms of the text
The prophet, peace be upon him, desisted from ordering him itself.47
to divorce her on account of his knowledge beforehand that
he himself would marry her, fearing the detriment that
could have been done to him by polytheists and hypocrites if
he had married Zainab in place of his former slave'Zayd in Commenting on these unwitting historical accounts, which
case he ordered him to divorce her. Therefore, Allah spoke elucidates Allah's saying to His prophet "And you did hide
to the prophet, peace be upon him, reproachfully for unduly in your heart that which Allah was about to make manifest,
fearing people's gossip when embarking upon something you did fear people, but it is more fitting that you should
which Allah permitted him to do, as exhibited by telling fear Allah" as dropping a hint at the fact that Prophet
Zayd to retain his wife, although he had known beforehand Muhammad, peace be upon him, fancied Zainab, Al-Imarn
that he would divorce her. Allah, Exalted be He, told him Al-Qurtubi said that such an alleged claim can be made only
that it is Allah who is worthy of being feared under all by someone who is either unwitting about the prophet's -
circumstances". peace be upon him - infallibility or by one who is playing
down his well-deserved esteem and respectability.

Our jurists, may Allah have mercy upon them all, said,
describing the above-cited interpretation by Zainul-abiddin
"This verse of the Quran has been best elucidated as such. 46 T he Interpretation by Imam Al-Qurtubi, volume eight, the surah of
This elucidation (as provided by Zainul-abiddin) has been Al-Ahzab.
the one deemed as most appropriate by the Holy Quran 47 T he "Interpretation of the Great Quran", by Ibn-Katheer, volume three.

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Al-Hakeem Al-~irmidhy said in his book, titled "Nwader adopted sons, who are not really their own sons. Zainab was
Al-Usul" (which means the most sought-after of religion the prophet's paternal cousin - her mother being his father's
fundamentals), "Ali son of Al-Hussain delved deeper into sister - and it was he who was in charge of her bringing up;
his highly-treasured knowledge in order to come up with if he himself had desired to marry her, he would have out
this elucidation of the verse which is as glittering brilliantly rightly married her, rather than having married her off to
as a highly-refined gem. This is because Allah talked to Zayd initially.
Muhammad reproachfully only as He, Exalted be He, had
told him that Zainab would be added up to your wives; so
Late Sheikh Muhammad el-Ghazali has urged strongly to
why must you (Muhammad) have told Zayd to retain his
wife, seriously taking into account people's gossip lest they invalidate what hypocrites said in interpretation of this
verse. He said, "They claim that it was a fancy for Zainab
should say: Muhammad has married his daughter-in-low,
while (It is more fitting to fear Allah, rather than anybody which the prophet, peace be upon him, hid in his heart and
for which he feared gossiping people, rather than Allah.
else)?"
That is to say that Allah, allegedly, reproached him for not
making public this fancy love!! We are thus rightfully
wondering just for the sake of argument: is it in line with
Al-Nahas quoted some scholars as saying "This is not a sin
having been committed by the prophet, peace be upon him,
good morals when a man is in love with a woman that he
as he was not ordered to repent or ask Allah's forgiveness should make this love public, much to her disgrace in
thereof Whereas an act can be regarded as not sinful, it Muslim society, especially if he is so emotionally perverse to
cannot be accepted because other acts would have been
better. The apostle, peace be upon him, hid in his heart an be in love with someone else's wife!?? Can a man who has
act which he was going to do later, so that he might not fallen in love with someone else's wife and has thus hidden
tempt people out of faith".48 this love in his heart be reproached by Allah?! Would he
have been in a good light if he had written love poems to
immortalize his love to her?!! This would have been an act of
recklessness and stupidity!
In a nutshell, the prophet married Zainab daughter of Jahsh
after Zayd son of Haritha, as ordered by Allah had divorced
her. Then it was Allah who out rightly married her off to His And it is exactly this foolishness which some fools deem
prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to dismantle - fitting to apply to the interpretation of the Holy Quran!!
once and for all - the system of adoption and so that fathers
may not feel awkward to marry the former wives of this Allah would not reproach anyone for concealing in one's
heart a reckless and unfulfilled love. However, what the
4 8 The interpetation of the Quran, by Al-Qurtubi. prophet really hid in his heart was a fear of a potential harm

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that, he thought, would have been done to him by this practice by his people, who even wanted him to comply
marriage imposed on him by Allah, reluctance to enforce with.
Allah's orders thereof as well as a fear of people ill gossiping
about him upon seeing a system of adoption -they had long Therefore, Allah, Exalted be He, says in the immediately
been acquainted with - dismantling. following verse, dismantling the entire system of adoption,
(Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is
Allah, Exalted be He, sent His prophet fully realizing that the apostle of Allah, and the last of the prophets: And Allah
His divine orders cannot be put on the back bumer because has full knowledge of all things)".
of laboring under a certain delusion, and that, in view of a
divine order, he should have inevitably yielded as ancestral
As for Safiyya daughter of Huyayy son of Akhtab whose
messengers would do. Allah has revealed ;the 38th and 39th father (Huyayy son of Akhtab) was the leader of Jews - she
verses of "Al-Alizab", or clans, surah following the was captured by Muslims after conquering Khaibar after her
father, brother and husband had been killed in battle. To
previously mentioned verse to underscore this meaning. The have mercy upon her, the apostle, peace be upon him, asked
38th and 39th verses of "Al-Ahzab" read as follows: her to opt for one of two things: either to release and
enfranchise her, letting her reunite with her tribe - if she so
wished to remain a Jew - or to accept his proposal of
marriage in case she decided to convert to Islam. She replied
(There can be no difficulty to the Prophet in what Allah has by saying, "0 messenger of Allah, I have fancied Islam and
indicated to him as a duty. It was the practice of Allah believed in you, even before you made such an offer to me.
among those of old that have passed away. And the Having called on me to have one option than the other,
namely to remain as an infidel or to embrace Islam, I am
command of Allah is a decree determined. It is the practice hereby making it public that Allah and His apostle are more
of those who preach the message of Allah, and fear Him, and beloved to me than being disenfranchised and let walk free
fear none but Allah. And enough is Allah to call men to to my people". As a result of the above statement, Allah
messenger married her, making the very act of redeeming
account)". and releasing the mahr (portion) due to her on marriage.49

Sheikh Muhammad Al-Ghazali further says, "You never

hearten anyone by saying: fear nobody except Allah, when
he is about to commit a sin. You only hearten him by saying
so when he is about to embark on a major virtuous act which
contravenes inherited traditions. All of those verses have
made it obvious that Allah never encouraged His apostle to
be further indulged in love with a woman, but rather 49 "Al-Tabaqat" or "The Generations of Prophet's Companions" by
encouraged him to invalidate a bad tradition commonly in Ibn-Saad.

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The daughter of the chief of the Jews must, obviously, have
been married off only to someone who is superior to her Consequently, hundreds of the people of Al-Mustalaq were
own father in social rank. So, it was Prophet Muhammad taken captives as slaves, including lady Juwairiya daugher
alone, peace be upon him, who was so far superior to her of Al-Harith. Upon having been taken captive, Juwairiya
father's position that he was able to marry her - as he is the went to the prophet saying, " I am Juwairiya, the daughter of
chief and head of all mankind. However, it would not have Al-Harith, who is the chief of his people. You must have
stood to reason to let that submissive lady - after having known what has befallen me (referring to captivity and
"Ten rolling in superiority, sublimity and affluence - marry ensuing submission). I have fallen within Thabit son of
just anybody who would have mistreated her or beaten her Qais's portion of slaves and booty; being my master, he got
on the face. me to sign a deed that I will be released upon paying nine
ounces (of gold), so help me in paying the needed money".

This course of events, visualized as such, is supported by a

historical account narrated by Dehya of the Kalb tribe, may Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said to her, "Do
Allah be pleased with him, who said to the prophet, "Give
me a female slave of those captured from Jews". The you like something better?". She inquired what that thing
prophet, peace be upon him, replied by saying "Go and take was and he replied by saying "I ransom you off and marry
for yourself a female slave". Upon taking Safyya as his you (if you so agree)?". She said "Yes, apostle of Allah, I do
female slave, the prophet's companions saw her and said to
the prophet, peace be upon him, "0 Allah's apostle, she is the agree and accept you as husband". The prophet, peace be
chief lady of the two Jewish tribes of the Quraizas and the upon him, said, "I am, hereby, accepting you as wife". He
Nadeers. In her capacity as such, it is more fitting then that it
is you, Allah's apostle, who should marry her"50
then walked out to his companions and told them about the
good tidings. Upon knowing this, his companions could not
stand having the prophet's in-lows in captivity (referring to
her tribe of Mustalaqs) and rushed to release any of them
who happened to have been in captivity until no one was
left captive.
The prophet, peace be upon him, was prompted to marry
Juwairiya on similar grounds. Named Juwairiya daughter of
AI-Harith son of Dirar, she was the daughter of the leader of Commenting on the marriage, Aisha, may Allah be pleased
AI-Mustalaqs, who fought Muslims and was so curshingly with her, said "By marrying Juwairiya off to the prophet,
defeated by them that his tribe were teetering on the brink of peace be upon him, one hundred households have been
absolute annihilation for submission for ever. disenfranchised. Accordingly, I know of no other woman
who has ever been so felicitous to her people".51 All of her
5 0 "U sdul-Ghaba", volume seven, by Ibn Al-Atheer.
51 "Usdul-Ghaba", volume seven.

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people later embraced Islam and even became righteous
Muslims.52
Chapter Seven
Hence, that marriage was a highly felicitous to Islam and SIGNIRCANT CONTEMPORARY
Muslims from all facets, rather than intended for taking
many more wives as believed by the unwitty and QUOTATIONS ABOUT
disseminated by hypocrites and orientalists!!
If it had been a desire, on the part of the prophet (peace be POLYGAMY
upon him), for having as many beautiful (women as The late Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Mahmoud
possible, Allah would not have forbidden him later to marry Shaltout, called on young gentlemen, so capable, to marry
any more wives after the said one, in which case the apostle more than one woman.
would have married and divorced at will. However, at the
time of his death, the prophet, peace be upon him, was During the era when Sheikh Shaltout was the Grand Sheikh
survived by nine wives, with two of his wives Khadija and of Al-Azhar, nubile female’s threefold outnumbered males
Zainab the daughter of Khuzaima, having died during his who were capable of getting married.
life time.
How excellent a husband and a companion he was, as aptly
heralded by Allah, Exalted be He, as "We sent you only as a Therefore, Sheikh Shaltout deemed that every such
mercy to all creatures". young-man should aptly marry three girls in a bid to stem,
once and for all, the problem of having so many bachelor
girls. Consequently, the Sheikh's righteous comments
sparked off a huge furore at the time, with Western-minded
people having agitatingly attacked the revered scholar.
Nevertheless, he ventured out the storm like a firm
mountain, never bowing to it as others are doing these
days!!

Asked by a world TV station announcer about what he

thought about polygamy, veteran Egyptian writer Anees
Mansour said, "If I am in favor of a person's right to give
birth to as many children as he wishes, it does not matter
then whether they be born to the same mother or not - it is
up to the father to freely decide". I n reply to another
5 2 The "Biography of the Prophet", by Ibn-Hisham.
question by the same announcer whether he remains

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committed to trite, worn-out principles, rather than keeping
abreast of a rapidly-changing world which does not any Dr. Fathiyya Al-Nabarawi, a professor at Al-Azhar
longer back a multitude of children as generated by
polygamy (referring, of course, to the non-Muslim world), University Faculty of Islamic Studies, says, "A Muslim
Mansour said, "You have said that you are making your woman rejects or hates polygamy only when she is
question personally, and this is my personal opinion. More
candidly speaking, I am grateful to the lack of birth control ill- educated and weak in faith. During the prophet's, peace
for my presence, as I am the ninth among eleven children. I be upon him, era, Muslim women did not object to
am not in favor of contenting oneself with only one wife, as I
was born to the second wife of my father who kept two
polygamy, although women are naturally known to be
wives at a time. And I support freedom of choice".53 averse to polygamy; even the prophet's, peace be upon him,
wives were known to be jealous of each other.

However, the situation stabilized and society acknowledged

polygamy as licensed by religion which has been sent down
Dr. Ahmed Shalaby, a professor of civilization and Islamic from Allah. A woman cannot object to polygamy as long as
history at the Cairo University Arabic-Language Faculty, her husband is so financially secure that he can provide for
says, "Orientalists have agitatedly been making an outcry her and his children by her; she can not object either, so long
that polygamy - as licensed by Islam - is not acceptable. as her husband will assuredly mete out justice to, and
However, why should we use them as our yardstick?! It is protect, her and his children by her as against the new wife.
exactly the West, which permitted mistresses, with million
illegitimate children ensuing.
Is not it better that such a marriage be permitted and made
public, or should men be denied access to such a marriage
Undoubtedly, polygamy is more sublime and chaste than while granted unrestricted access to the then imperative
having concubines. A mistress has no access to rights, nor course of action involving sin? A polygamist husband
does her children. Polygamy is more largely to women's should then be held in high esteem on the grounds that he is
advantage, rather than to their detriment."54 They even a Muslim typically fearful of Allah.
can forestall polygamy if they commonly consent that none
of them should marry a married man. Nevertheless, they so Nevertheless, I find fault with a lot of men who, having got a
do to satisfy a need, instead of remaining bachelor girls". second wife, keep a second marriage secret although they
have got legally married. They obviously feel awkward to
make this marriage public because children are brought up
5 3 "Stolen Moments", a book by Anees Mansour, Daru-shruk edition.
to regard a second wife as a catastrophe, with media
5 4 "H istory and Goals of Orientalism", published by "Al-Nahda" bookshop.

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fallaciously striking the same note and imported Western However, I advocate the latter team of jurists who believe
patterns of thought rife". the verse as. having permitted polygamy only qualifiedly.

Dr. Fathiyya Nabarawi goes on to say further, "I have Of the reasons I deem warranting taking a second wife, or
known some colleagues who have, from the very beginning, more, are an ill or infertile wife, a husband who is so
accepted being second wives. However, since marriages excessively potent that he fails to content himself with only
were consummated, they have been attempting to grab one wife, or simply females outnumbering males in society.
husbands only for themselves and to send them abandoning
their first wives - one of those wives has even requested her There are estimated thirteen million unmarried girls -at, or
husband to divorce his first wife. Is that logical? Does such a well above, the age of marriage - in Egypt, with girls above
behavior stand to reason? thirty years of age accounting for four millions girls.

Our society has been undergoing a multitude of blurry, In my own opinion, a necessity arises for polygamy against a
fallacious precepts which make themselves most manifest in background as such: if we do not resort to polygamy under
terms of an issue like polygamy, but they do exist - though these circumstances, a half of society's girls will remain
to a lesser degree - in a lot more areas of our lives". bachelor girls unable to be sexually abstinent".

Another woman professor of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), Dr. Nadia Hashem goes on to expound her viewpoint by
Dr. Nadia Hashem, airs her viewpoint as follows, " In terms saying that a husband has perfect right to marry another
of Shari'aa, what does the verse (Marry women of your wife, or other wives, whether his first wife consents or not.
choice, two, or three, or four) exactly mean? Does the verse This is because it is a husband who is in command of a
signal general and absolute permissiveness, or rather, marriage contract; in a capacity as such, he is empowered to
permissiveness qualified by certain curbs attached by dispose at will, on condition that a wife has not attached,
Shari'aa? when writing out the marriage certificate, a condition that
her husband should not take another wife, or other wives, in
addition to her.
Whereas some jurists have said that the verse signals
absolute permissiveness, regardless of necessity or not, some
other jurists have interpreted the verse as signaling only Dr. Nadia Hashem further clarifies that women in Muslim
qualified permissiveness. societies do not acknowledge polygamy any more: whether
they be educated or not, wealthy or poor, urban or rural, as
well as religious or not. Corrupt common practices - deeply

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sending out roots - religious un-enlightenment, dominating such social circumstances is to resist fait accompli to no
Western precepts are gravely implicated for Muslim avail, as the ratio of men to women can either be equal on
women's rejection of polygamy. Our society unduly upholds
a common practice of turning down polygamy as inequality
both sides or tilting in favor of one side against the other.
being done to first wives. However, Shari'aa stresses as
corrupt and invalid any practice which runs on a collision
course with religion. Having only scarce knowledge of If the men-to-women ratio is equal or when men do
religion sends a woman averting from polygamy. If she had outnumber women, polygamy has to spontaneously fall out
been an utterly Muslim woman, she would have assuredly
realized that she cannot, nor does she have any right to,
of practice, with every man contenting himself with the
head off a second, third or even fourth marriage by her woman coercively portioned out to him.
husband, so long as her husband fulfills her own rights.
Unfortunately, women's education, domination of secular
precepts and the so-termed emancipation of women have all If women do outnumber men, only one course of action has
been seriously fallaciously instilling - throughout long
decades - into women's minds that polygamy holds women
to be opted for out of the three following options:
in low esteem.55
(1) to judge that some women be deprived for life of
having their sexual needs met;
(2) to permit keeping mistresses, with adultery
acknowledged as thus legitimate;
(3) or to allow polygamy.

Late Sheikh Muhammad el-Ghazali giving his A woman is widely believed even before a man - to desist
Opinion: from either deprivation or a disobediently sinful bed. With
the situation as such, she has to share another wife's
husband, from whom her would-be children will have a
Steady urban and economic laws inevitably govern life, lineal descent, resulting in polygamy - as stipulated by Islam
whether they be known in which case they will be cautioned - being inevitably acknowledged.
against - or unwittingly handled, with their impact, still,
spontaneously unfolding itself.
Moreover, men do diverge widely in term of sexual desire:
some men are so healthy, strong in erotica sentiments and
It is social circumstances, which govern how many women leading a luxurious life while other men are not. To deal on a
an individual man should have a relation with. To overlook
par with both a sexually-rigid man from his earlier periods
of adolescence and another who is so sexually energetic that
5 5 "Al-Musfirnoun" newspaper of 6 June 1997.

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he can be easily excited is a matter which widely misses the Allah who has given out Shari'aa, regards inability to
mark of justice. provide for expenses as an excuse not to marry an even one
lady, such inability would rather prohibit a man to marry
Are gluttons not allowed to have more amounts of food than more than one.
allowed for people with less appetite? So, why not The lawgiver enjoins fasting on unmarried youth so long as
sexual-wise? It is the same token working here. they cannot marry , thus ordering a man whom is unable
even to have one wife and be sexually abstinent. Allah thus
says in the surah of "Al-Nour" (Light), "Let those who do not
There is another wise reason for allowing polygamy: a wife
find the wherewithal for marriage keep themselves sexually
may be so feeble, diseased, infertile or old-aged that she abstinent until Allah gives them means out of His grace".
cannot any longer satisfy her husband's sexual needs, so
why should she be so helplessly let down to be victimized
by these excuses? What about a man who has only one wife? He would rather
be patient and had better be sexually abstinent; the more
Good company has to be retained by a husband, who is then wives a husband keeps, the more children he is likely to
fully empowered to bring in another wife, or other wives, have. Islam enjoins father to deal with children on an equal
who can fully perform a wife's role. footing in terms of upbringing, education, honoring and
loving as well as means of living however divergent their
mothers may be. A father with many children should then
In spite of all those reasons pleaded as warranting
polygamy, Islam has adamantly forbidden that polygamy be be cautious enough not to be capricious when handling his
children born to diverse mothers; as a husband a man
intended for giving vent to some men's sexual lust and a
slant for physical pleasure and domination. should imperatively administer justice to his wives.

A gain should correspondingly be met by a loss; easier However, if a heart inclination is too stubborn to be
access to sensual pleasure should be ensued by burdening controlled, every husband can fully observe the rules and
duties. guidelines in question, rightfully weigh his behavior and to
fear Allah in whatever Allah has made him guardian of in
Hence, when embarking upon polygamy justice has to be terms of a wide spectrum of deeds and circumstances.
assuredly and safeguardedly meted out. If a husband fears
doing injustice to himself, children or wives, polygamy is These are the broader confines of justice as attached by Allah
thus forbidden. A polygamist should be able to provide for to polygamy. He who can fully fulfil such limits may get
the necessary expenses. If the lawgiver, in which case it is married to two, three or even four wives; otherwise, he has

-56-
as suffice
to being ofhimself
no avail.
withI only
can even
one wife,
rightfully
in response
claim that
to what call of lust - only gross slanting and inequality will be the
Allah says:, "If you
contemptuously regarding
fear injustice,
polygamy thenhas
keep
been only
an one
immediate
wife". result.
fallout of a sort of new Crusade against Muslim nations.
I have seen some journalists objecting to polygamy as Although a man cannot even provide for himself, he is in
licensedsocial
Several by Islam andnow
classes wondering
do regardifpolygamy
a man isasempowered
something to pursuit of another marriage; whereas he is unable to be in
have
evil, while they consider adultery and fornicationallowed to
as many as four wives, why is a woman not charge of only one wife, he goes seeking another. A
have as many entertainment!
insignificant husbands as four? The problem has come to relate polygamist may not be dealing equally, rather capriciously,
Having
to thoroughly
understanding andlooked at those the
acknowledging wondering journalists, I
entire religion. with his children in terms of education and portioning out
have found them out mostly lewd, cuckolds or pimps. To wealth; he may take another wife only to desert the first one
my own much surprise, they are leading a life bristling with and leave her as if hanging in the air.
Against such a background, to attempt restricting polygamy
adultery, aversing most to create a chaste family.
is to repulsively attempt to soil the entire society in the name
of law and at the expense of Islam. Conversely, although a man may be wealthy enough to
To answer this invalid question, I have to clearly state that marry four women at one and the same time and to provide
the ultimate
Many a prophet goaland
of good
sexualworshipping
relationshipman is to
hadcreate
morea than
family for whomever children they beget him, he leads a life of
and rear children in a climate of clean custody.
one wife and the practice was not believed to impinge upon This cannot sexual begging ad rolling in the bosoms of trollops.
everpiety
his be achieved
or fearingin Allah.
a home whereof athelotOld
Books ofTestament
people frequent,
stand
and fight
witness to grab, a woman whose prospective offspring
thereof. Does forbidding polygamy cure a nation's evils as such? No.
cannot be identified as having descended from any of them. To forbid what is permitted is not anything that will be a
In addition, a woman's sexual role is that of a receiver, rather dilemma in the eye of Islamic legislation. However, if
Islam does not regard abstaining from marriage a sort of
than a doer of the action, of the one being led and carried, religion had remained silent about its position on polygamy,
worshipping, as monks do, nor does it consider keeping four
rather than of the leader, carrier. One can visualize a we would, rather, have made our say on it by clarifying that
wives a sin, as Christianity is falsely claimed to have
locomotive pulling four carriages, rather than a carriage it is permitted to preserve public interest as above explained.
branded. (As we have seen before, none of the four gospels
pulling four locomotives. Men are disposed by nature to
forbids polygamy: the author Hamdi Shafeek).
maintain and sustain women, and to dismiss this fact as
allegedly untrue is colliding with the natural course of A line of demarcation has to be drawn between instituting a
things.
To sin is really to give a free rein to sexual desire, or to principle and misusing it. In as far as the role of legislation in
inhibit it, letting it trickle down as underground water rectifying our society and remedying its ailments is
trickles down under the desert.56
concerned- in terms of an imperative need to mete out
When some of the commons, verily unfortunately, unheed justice by a polygamist - let researchers be primarily
these confines attached to polygamy and go keeping as occupied with adjusting the yardstick, as well as the
5many
6 Fiqhwives as(Understanding
AI-Sira", four withouttherealizing the sensebyofSheikh
Prophet's Biography), justice manifestations, of justice if they so desire. Any attempt at
they are enjoined to administer - but rather to answer the
Alghazali. undermining and deriding polygamy in principle is doomed

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