The Wisdom of Polygamy in Islam - Mercy to Women and Men

Muslims were martyred in the conquests defending their land and honor, and women were widowed and children orphaned, and the number of women who needed someone to support them increased, compared to the number of men, and this is one of the reasons for polygamy in Islam , as the noble verse says, {And if you fear that you will not be just toward the orphan girls, marry such women as seem good to you, two or three or four; but if you fear that you will not be just, then only one or those your right hands possess. That is

more suitable that you will not incur injustice.} An-Nisaa’ 3 As for polygamy in general, this has existed since the beginning of time and before our master Abraham was sent to earth, but the matter became very dangerous in The children of Israel, where each of them married hundreds, and as is known in the Old Testament (Torah), the Prophet David married 99 women, and to not be satisfied, he committed adultery with another married woman and was forced to get rid of her husband in order to marry her to close the 100, as for his son Solomon, he had a relationship with 1000 women, you also read this in the Old Testament (Torah), the Song of Songs, this is what every Christian and Jew believes in, and of course our master David and Solomon are innocent of the slander of the Christians and Jews against them, and the Arabs also married by the dozens, and when Islam came , the religion of mercy, light and guidance, it came to eliminate the huge number of marriages, hundreds among the Jews and dozens among the Arabs, and because Islam is a religion of mercy, it gradually eliminated those huge numbers of marriages , so it limited the number to only four, meaning that the person who enters Islam keeps only 4 and divorces the rest, and after eliminating those huge numbers Justice is a condition in marriages, and if there is no justice, then one is enough. Here Islam liberates women again from the hand of the tyrannical man . It was also merciful to men, as it transformed them from lustful men who married hundreds to merciful men who were content with one wife if they could not achieve justice. This decision came to liberate women from the hands of the Children of Israel and the Arabs before Islam , and to support men over their overwhelming desires and transform them into men who are content with one wife. ((And if you fear that you will not be just toward the orphan girls, then marry such women as seem good to you, two or three or four; but if you fear that you will not be just, then one.))

 

: 1- Islam forbade adultery and strictly prohibited it, because of the great evils it causes that are beyond counting and enumeration. When Islam forbade adultery and strictly prohibited it, it opened a legitimate door in which a person can find comfort, tranquility, and reassurance, which is marriage, as it legislated marriage and permitted polygamy, as mentioned above. There is no doubt that preventing polygamy is unjust to men and women; preventing it may lead to adultery, because the number of women exceeds the number of men in every time and place, and this is evident in times of war; limiting marriage to one woman leads to a large number of women remaining unmarried, which causes them embarrassment, distress, and dispersion, and may lead them to sell their honor, the spread of adultery, and the loss of offspring.

2- Marriage is not only physical pleasure: rather, it provides comfort, tranquility, and also the blessing of children, and children in Islam are not like any other earthly system; Because his parents have the greatest right over him; if a woman is blessed with children and raises them, they will be the joy of her eyes; which is better for a woman: to enjoy the shade of a man who protects her, surrounds her, and takes care of her, and because of him she is blessed with children who, if she raises them well and they become righteous, will be the joy of her eyes? Or to live alone, fugitive, throwing herself here and there?!

3- Islam’s view is fair and balanced: Islam looks at all women with justice, and a fair view says that all women must be looked at with justice.

If this is the case, what is the fault of spinsters who have no husbands? Why is a woman whose husband died while she was still young not looked at with compassion and pity? Why are the many women who remain unmarried not looked at?

Which is better for a woman: to enjoy the shade of a husband who has another wife, so that she can feel at ease, calm down, find someone to take care of her, and be blessed with children because of him, or to remain unmarried at all?

Which is better for societies: for some men to have multiple wives so that society is spared the consequences of spinsterhood? Or for no one

to have multiple wives, so that societies are engulfed in the fires of corruption? Which is better: for a man to have two, three, or four wives? Or for him to have one wife and ten mistresses, or more or less?

4- Polygamy is not obligatory: Many Muslim husbands do not have multiple wives; as long as one woman is sufficient for him, or he is unable to be just, there is no need for polygamy.

5- The nature of women differs from that of men: This is in terms of their readiness for intercourse; she is not ready for intercourse at all times. During the menstrual cycle, there is an obstacle that may reach ten days, or two weeks every month. During the postpartum period, there is also an obstacle, and it is usually forty days. Intercourse during these two periods is forbidden by Sharia, due to the obvious harms it causes. In the case of pregnancy, a woman’s readiness to have intercourse with her husband may weaken, and so on. As for men, their readiness is the same throughout the month and the year; so if some men are prevented from having multiple wives, this may lead them to engage in unlawful behavior.

6- The wife may be sterile and unable to give birth: the husband is deprived of the blessing of children, so instead of divorcing her, he keeps her and marries another woman who is fertile.

7- The wife may suffer from a chronic illness, such as paralysis or something else, and she is unable to serve the husband; so instead of divorcing her, he keeps her and marries another woman.

8- The wife’s behavior may be bad: she may be fierce, ill-mannered, and does not respect her husband’s rights; so instead of divorcing her, the husband keeps her and marries another woman; out of loyalty to the wife, to preserve the rights of her family, and to protect the interests of the children from being lost if he has children from her.

9- A man’s ability to reproduce is much greater than a woman’s: A man can reproduce until after the age of sixty, and may even exceed a hundred while he is still active and able to reproduce.

As for a woman, she usually stops having children around the age of forty, or a little over it; preventing polygamy deprives the nation of offspring.

10- Marrying a second wife is a relief for the first: The first wife is relieved a little or a lot from the burdens of marriage; as there is someone to help her and take a share of the husband’s burdens from her.

For this reason, some wise women, if she grows old and is unable to fulfill her husband’s rights, advise him to take on polygamy.

11- Seeking reward: A man may marry a poor woman who has no breadwinner or guardian, and he marries her with the intention of protecting her and taking care of her, and thus he will receive reward from Allah for that.

12- The One who permitted polygamy is Allah - the Almighty -: He knows best what is in the best interests of His servants, and is more merciful to them than they are to themselves.

13- Statistics show that the number of women is greater than that of men. If every man marries only one woman, this means that some women will remain without a husband, which will harm them and society.

The harm that will befall them is that they will not find a husband who will take care of their interests, provide them with housing and a living, protect them from forbidden desires, and give them children who will please their eyes, which may lead them to deviation and loss, except for those whom your Lord has mercy on.

As for the harm that will befall society, it is known that this woman who will remain without a husband may deviate from the right path and take the paths of temptation and vice, and fall into the swamp of adultery and prostitution - we ask Allah for safety - which will lead to the spread of immorality, and the emergence of fatal diseases such as AIDS and other incurable, contagious diseases for which there is no cure, and families will disintegrate, and children will be born with unknown identities who do not know who their father is?

They do not find a caring hand to be kind to them, nor a sound mind to raise them well. If they go out into life and know their true nature and that they are the children of fornication, this will be reflected in their behavior, and they will be exposed to deviation and loss. They will even resent their societies, and who knows, perhaps they will be the wrecking ball of their countries, and leaders of deviant gangs, as is the case in many countries of the world.

14- Men are exposed to accidents that may cost them their lives, because they work in difficult professions, and they are soldiers in battles, so the possibility of death among them is greater than among women. This is one of the reasons for the high rate of spinsterhood among women, and the only solution to eliminate this problem is polygamy.

15- Some men have strong desires, and one woman is not enough for them. If the door is closed on them and they are told that they are only allowed one woman, they will fall into extreme hardship, and perhaps they will vent their desires in a forbidden way.

In addition, a woman menstruates every month, and if she gives birth, she remains in postpartum bleeding for forty days, so a man cannot have intercourse with his wife, because intercourse during menstruation or postpartum bleeding is forbidden, and its harm has been proven medically. So polygamy is permitted when one is able to be just.

16- Polygamy is not only in the religion of Islam, but it was known among previous nations, and some of the prophets were married to more than one woman. The Prophet of Allah, Solomon, had ninety wives. During the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), some men converted to Islam, some of whom were married to eight women, and some to five, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) commanded them to keep four women and divorce the rest.