As for the writer's objection to polygyny and his encouragement for a
restriction on some people who have two wives or more, as well as
claiming that he is making his own Ijtihad in understanding the meaning
of Allah's Saying (Exalted be He):
...then
marry (other) women of your 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 (the slaves) that your right hands possess.
We shall reply to this by saying that this is considered a great
mistake and complete ignorance, for none should interpret Allah's Book
by opposing the interpretation given by His Messenger Muhammad (peace be
upon him), the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) or what was agreed
upon by Muslims. The Messenger (peace be upon him) is the most
knowledgeable of the Tafsir (exegesis of the meanings of the Qur'an) of
Allah's Book and the most faithful to Allah and His servants. Moreover,
he has allowed polygyny for himself and his Ummah (nation based on one
creed), commanded men who marry more than a wife to equate between them
and warned men against preferential treatment of a wife over another.
Likewise, the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) were the most
versed in explaining Allah's Book after the Prophet (peace be upon him),
and the most knowledgeable of the Prophet's Sunnah, besides being the
most advising to people after the prophets. None of them prohibited
polygyny. How would a ruler, scholar or any
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| (Part No. 1; Page No. 122) |
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other
person dare to oppose them and make statements about Allah that oppose
what they have learned of Allah's Shari`ah, and is agreed upon by
scholars after them? This is surely invalid and is a sort of Kufr and
going astray. It also involves disrespect of Allah's Book and the
rulings of His Shari`ah without right. Whoever contemplates what Allah
(Glorified be He) has prescribed with regard to allowing polygyny will
find great benefits for men, women, and the whole society - as will be
clarified In sha’a-Allah (if Allah wills) - and recognize the merits of
the Shari`ah sent by Allah through His Messenger (peace be upon him) to
all people. It fulfills uprightness and happiness for people in this
world and in the Hereafter. They will also come to know that allowing
polygyny is a sort of perfection of Allah's Grace and Mercy upon His
servants, and that He has a great wisdom in it for whoever contemplates
it and understands Allah's Laws and Rulings. This is because women may
experience many circumstances, such as illness, barrenness and others.
If polygyny is prohibited, a husband will face two situations: if his
wife is barren, old, or suffers from a chronic illness while he is in
need of a woman to restrain him from erring, protect himself and meet
his needs, or desire to have a son, either he will divorce his wife -
and this involves great loss for both of them - or keeps her and suffers
difficulties and distress and may fall prey to adultery and many other
known sins. Both situations are evil and no reasonable person can ever
accept this. Another wife may not be able to satisfy her husband's
sexual desire. In this case he may desire to marry one or more women to
protect himself against what Allah has prohibited. The wife may also
suffer from low fertility although she is not barren, and her husband
may need a second wife or more to have more children as the Prophet
(peace be upon him) encouraged his Ummah to have many children.
Moreover, a woman may be unable to earn her livelihood and there is no
one who provides for her. In this case she may be in need of a man to
marry her and provide for her.
So there are many benefits in polygyny for men, women, and
society. Furthermore, the population of women may increase due to war or
other factors, thus causing a decrease in the number of their
sustainers, resulting in their need to husbands to protect them and
attend to their needs
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| (Part No. 1; Page No. 123) |
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as
well as having legitimate children. However, as previously mentioned,
Allah (Glorified be He) is All-Wise, All-Knower of everything He has
prescribed and destined. Therefore, it is impermissible for anyone -
whoever they are - to object to His Judgment or His Shari`ah. Also, is
impermissible for anyone to claim that any other ruling is better than
His or that any other guidance is more effective than that of the
Messenger. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:
Do
they then seek the judgement of (the days of) Ignorance? And who is
better in judgement than Allâh for a people who have firm Faith.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in his Khutab (sermons):
Now
then, the best of speech is the Book of Allah, the best of guidance is
the guidance of Muhammad (peace be upon him), the most evil of matters
are those that are innovated (in religion), and every Bid`ah is an
error.
There are many Ayahs and Hadiths mentioned in this regard. However,
some people of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic time of ignorance) used to have
many wives, but after the advent of Islam, the number was restricted to
only four, as mentioned in the story of
Ghaylan ibn Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him)
who embraced Islam while having ten wives. The Prophet (peace be upon
him) ordered him to choose only four among them and divorce the rest. It
has also been authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon
him) that Allah (Glorified be He) allowed his Prophets Dawud (David) and
Sulayman (Solomon) to have more than four wives. But the Shari`ah has
been conveyed to all mankind through the best of creatures and the Last
of Messengers, Muhammad (peace be upon him) presented a compromise that
collected all benefits - that is to permit a man to marry four wives.
Scholars (may Allah be merciful to them) have unanimously agreed on the
permissibility of having four wives and forbidding what exceeds this.
But some scholars of unreasonable views claimed the permissibility of
having more than four wives at the same time. However, the Prophet
(peace be upon him) is an exception, since Allah has granted him special
attributes, one of which is the permissibility of having nine wives for
many reasons and wisdoms, but this is not the place to mention them.
Contemplating the reality of those who reject polygyny, such as
the Christians and their like, many of them have
fallen in Zina (adultery) which is prohibited by Allah, and have taken
many girl-friends. They actually exchange what is
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| (Part No. 1; Page No. 124) |
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Halal
(lawful) with what is Haram (prohibited), and what is good with what is
evil, resembling those whom Allah has described by saying:
Would you exchange that which is better for that which is lower?
It is known that the Messenger (peace be upon him) is the most knowledgeable of Tafsir, and that he explained the Ayah:
...then marry (other) women of your choice, two or three, or four
that it means the permissibility of having only four wives or less,
and so did the Sahabah, for none of them ever denied having four wives
or even married more than this number. They were the most knowledgeable
of the Tafsir of Allah's Book after the Messenger (peace be upon him)
and the most knowledgeable of his Sunnah as we said before. This is
sufficient and convincing for truth seekers. Allah is the One to be
sought for support, and there is neither might nor strength except by
Him.
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So, how can a Muslim disapprove of the Qur'anic statement of its permissibility, as Allah (Exalted be He) says:
...then
marry (other) women of your 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 (the slaves) that your right hands possess. That is nearer to
prevent you from doing injustice.
Thus,
Allah (Exalted be He) has permitted His servants through this Ayah
(Qur'anic verse) to marry women of their choice, two or three or four,
on the condition of justice. However, this ignorant person alleges that
polygyny is a serious disease and an inveterate malady that disunites
the family and disturbs its stability, and then should be fought. He
also alleges that the one who seeks to practice polygyny is similar to
an animal. This is a heinous claim that implies belittlement of those
who marry two or more women, on top of whom is the best of humans and
the Jinn, Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The
Prophet (peace be upon him) practiced polygamy; he had nine wives at
the same time. Yet, Allah benefited the Ummah through those wives and
they conveyed beneficial knowledge, good morals, and noble manners.
Prophets
Dawud and Sulayman (i.e. David and Solomon, peace be upon them)
practiced polygamy; they had many wives at the same time, by the
Permission of Allah and through his Legislation.
Many of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and of those who graciously followed them practiced polygyny too.
If polygamy is accompanied by observance of justice, it has
many advantages and numerous benefits, including preserving the chastity
of man and his being the cause of preserving the chastity of a number
of women,
his provision for them,
and
multiplication of progeny that will increase the number of the Ummah.
This in turn increases its power and the number of those who worship
Allah (Exalted be He).
This will be a source of pride for the Prophet (peace be upon him) in front of other nations on the Judgment Day.
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| (Part No. 3; Page No. 232) |
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Many
other interests are known to those who glorify the Shari`ah and
consider its advantages, wisdom, secrets, and the dire need of people
for it with contentment, love, glorification, and insight.
The
ignorant person who views the Shari`ah in a negative light and
subserviently looks east and west, approving of all that comes from
them, is far from perceiving the merits of the Shari`ah, its wisdom,
benefits, and the protection of the interests of male and female
servants of Allah.
Polygamy
was known to the preceding nations that had civilizations and during
the pre-Islamic era among the Arabs. When Islam came, it limited
polygyny, restricted the number of wives to four, and permitted the
Prophet (peace be upon him) to have more than four wives due to certain
wisdom, secrets, and interests. Finally, Allah made it unlawful for him
to marry any woman after his nine wives as indicated in Surah Al-Ahzab.
The
scholars of Shari`ah mentioned that polygyny is among the merits of
Shari`ah and is an aspect of its maintenance of the interests of society
and a remedy for its problems.
Were
it not for fear of verbosity, I would have reported to the reader
excerpts from those scholars, so that the reader would increase in
knowledge and insight.
Some
enemies of Islam noticed this issue and admitted the excellence of the
Shari`ah and the way it dealt with this matter. They did so in spite of
their enmity and acknowledged the truth out of the pressing necessity to
admit it.
I hereby....
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He
also claims that anyone who seeks to practice polygyny is ignorant and
we should cooperate in preventing him from fulfilling his bestial
desires and in rooting out such a malady. He claimed that whenever
polygyny is practiced in a family, it inevitably ends up in disunion,
adversity, etc. I believe these words could not be uttered by anyone who
believes in Allah and the Last Day, knowing that the Noble Qur'an and
the Sacred Sunnah permit polygyny and the Muslims concur on its
lawfulness. Therefore, how can a Muslim disapprove of the Qur'anic
statement which proves its permissibility, as Allah (Exalted be He)
states:
...then
marry (other) women of your 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 (the slaves) that your right hands possess. That is nearer to
prevent you from doing injustice.
In this Ayah (Qur'anic verse), Allah has permitted His Slaves to
marry women of their choice, two or three or four, on the condition of
justice. However, this ignorant person claims that it is a serious and
chronic disease which splits the family and disturbs its stability, and
that it should be fought. Furthermore, he compares anyone who seeks to
practice polygyny to animals. This is a heinous claim that implies
belittlement of those who marry two or more women, the most prominent
being Muhammad (peace be upon him), the Master of mankind and Jinn. The
Prophet (peace be upon him) practiced polygyny; he had nine wives. Allah
benefited the Ummah (nation based on one creed) through these women and
they conveyed knowledge, good morals and noble manners. Thus, when
polygyny is practiced with justice, it brings about many benefits:
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| (Part No. 21; Page No. 247) |
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preserving
the chastity of man and his being the cause of preserving the chastity
of a number of women, his maintenance of their interests, and the
multiplication of progeny which results in the increase of the Ummah,
the increase of its power, and numerousness of those worshipping Allah.
It will also be a cause for the Prophet's boasting of them before the
other nations on the Day of Resurrection. This, and many other
interests, are known to those who glorify the Shari`ah and consider its
advantages, its wisdom and the dire need for it with contentment, love,
glorification and insight. However, the ignorant person who gloomily
views the Shari`ah and subserviently looks east and west, approving of
all that comes from them, is far from understanding the merits of the
Shari`ah, its wisdom, benefits, and protection for the interests of male
and female Slaves. Polygyny was well-known among previous civilized
nations and in Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic period of ignorance). With the
advent of Islam, the Shari`ah limited the number of wives to four. The
Prophet (peace be upon him) was permitted to have more than four wives
due to certain wisdom and interests. However, Allah limited them to nine
wives, as indicated in Surah Al-Ahzab. Likewise, prophets Dawud and
Sulayman (i.e. David and Solomon, peace be upon them both) practiced
Polygyny; they had many wives at the same time, by the Will of Allah and
through His Legislation. Also, many of the Sahabah (Companions of the
Prophet) and of those who graciously followed them practiced polygyny as
well.
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| (Part No. 21; Page No. 248) |
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Scholars
mentioned that polygyny is among the merits of Shari`ah and is an
aspect of its maintenance of the interests of society and a remedy for
its problems. Were it not for the sake of brevity, I would have included
excerpts from those scholars, so readers would increase their knowledge
and insight. Some non-Muslims have acknowledged these benefits and
admitted the excellence of polygyny in spite of their enmity towards it,
in acknowledgment of the truth and out of the pressing necessity to
recognize it. I hereby quote some of these testimonies, though Ayahs
(Qur'anic verses), Hadiths, and comments of Muslim scholars are more
than sufficient and more useful than the statements of those who oppose
Islam. However, still some people may benefit more from such testimonies
than they do from the statements of Muslim scholars, and even from the
Ayahs and Hadiths. This is only because of their glorification of the
West and all that is related to it.
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