Q: Why does Islam permit polygamy, i.e. That a man may marry two, three,
or four wives at the same time. What are the conditions,
characteristics, and advantages of such permissibility?...
Fatwa no.
3166
Q: Why
does Islam permit polygamy, i.e. That a man may marry two,
three, or four wives at the same time. What are the conditions,
characteristics, and advantages of such permissibility?
How can we refute the allegations of those who doubt the permissibility of polygamy?
A:
It is Allah (Exalted be He) Who makes it Mubah (permissible) for
a Muslim to marry up to four wives if he is able to fulfill their
rights, is sure that he can do justice between them, and does not fear
of being unjust. Thus Allah (Exalted be He) revealed to His Messenger
(peace be upon him):
And
if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the
orphan-girls 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.
This Ayah (Qur'anic verse) shows that Allah (Exalted be He) permits
Muslims to marry more than one wife; two, three, or four according to
their will if they do not fear being unjust between them. He (Glorified
be He) is All-Knowing and Well-Acquainted with the affairs of His
slaves. He is All-Wise in stating His Shari`ah (Islamic law). He
legalizes for His slaves what achieves their interest and regulates
their life. He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while all people
will be questioned. Therefore, it is Wajib (obligatory) to surrender
and
leave all the affairs to Him (Glorified be He). It is also Wajib to
believe in the Divine Decree. All the foregoing is a prerequisite for
believing in the Wisdom of Allah (Exalted be He). Besides, since human
beings' intellectual capacity is limited; they may or may not know the
details of Allah's Wisdom regarding many branches of Shari`ah (Islamic
law), but still they have to yield to Allah's will. A Muslim scholar who
is faced by those who raise doubts and allegations regarding polygamy
should refer the matter to the origin of Din (religion), i.e. believing
that the All-Knowing, All-Wise, Most Kind, and Most Merciful Lord of the
universe has sent trustworthy and truthful Messengers to give people
glad tidings (if they believe in Allah and obey Him) and warn them
(against disbelief in Allah and disobeying Him). Allah (Glorified be He)
revealed to those Messengers laws that work towards the happiness of
mankind and the well-being of the universe. Such messengers conveyed
their messages clearly and clarified all the proofs for their
truthfulness. If those who doubt polygamy believe in the All-Knowing
Lord, in His wisdom, justice, and mercy; and in the truthfulness and
trustworthiness of the Messengers; the proof is established against them
and they have to surrender to Allah regarding His Shari`ah, whether
they know the wisdom behind every Divine legislation or not. On the
other hand, if those who doubt polygamy refuse to believe in the origins
of Shari`ah, there is no need to discuss the details of it with them.
Nevertheless, there are some wisdoms for the permissibility of polygamy.
Among these wisdoms is that statistics and research prove that the
number of newly born girls exceed the number of newly born boys, and
that the death rate of males is higher than that of females, as men are
subjected to more death reasons such as wars,
hard
work, long-distance travel and all other sources of difficulties and
dangers. Thus, if polygamy is banned; some females will not marry and
consequently will not be able to satisfy their sexual appetite and
instinct in an honorable way on the basis of which families, tribes, and
people are established. This will also lead many women to fall victims
to procurers so that honors are violated, progeny decreases, the number
of foundlings increases, families are destroyed, and corruption and
affliction spread in society. All the foregoing result in fatal diseases
such as syphilis and gonorrhea. Another wisdom of polygamy is to
increase the number of progeny as a result of the increase of the number
of married women. This will add to the strength of the Ummah (nation),
and encourage cooperation to face the difficulties of life and to settle
on Earth upon which Allah has made man a successive authority. On the
other hand, Shari`ah enjoins marriage to safeguard chastity, increase
progeny, protect honors, and maintain the human race. In addition,
Allah's universal norm that women usually have menses, pregnancy, and
that their postpartum period lasts for a long duration of time is
another reason for the permissibility of polygamy. If a man has more
than one wife, he will be able to protect his private parts from
indulging
in Haram (prohibited) practices. He will satisfy his sexual needs with
his other wife and thus this will help him to control his desires and
not to respond to Satan or to his own whims. Finally, a wife may be
sterile but there is harmony between her and her husband and the latter
wants to marry another woman only to have offspring, as it is something
that Allah loves and that works for the development of the earth and the
strength of the Ummah. Allah thus permits such a man to practice
polygamy so that he may attain the happiness of having children. There
are some other wisdoms for the permissibility of polygamy. However,
polygamy, as mentioned above, is permitted by the Shari`ah of Allah the
All-Wise, the Praise-Worthy, the Most Merciful, and the Most Loving.
Allah Who has created knows the best the needs of His slaves and He is
the Most Courteous (to His slaves), and the Well-Acquainted (with
everything). He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while all
people will be questioned. Slaves of Allah have then to know the just
estimate of their Lord. They have to acknowledge the incapability of
their own souls and refer the knowledge of what they do not know to
Allâh; All-Knower of the Unseen of the heavens and the Earth. People
must make themselves busy with doing what Allah commands them to do and
avoiding what Allah prohibits. May Allah grant us success. May peace and
blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta'
 |
| (Part No. 19; Page No. 175) |
And
if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the
orphan-girls 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.
This Ayah (Qur'anic verse) shows that Allah (Exalted be He) permits
Muslims to marry more than one wife; two, three, or four according to
their will if they do not fear being unjust between them. He (Glorified
be He) is All-Knowing and Well-Acquainted with the affairs of His
slaves. He is All-Wise in stating His Shari`ah (Islamic law). He
legalizes for His slaves what achieves their interest and regulates
their life. He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while all people
will be questioned. Therefore, it is Wajib (obligatory) to surrender| (Part No. 19; Page No. 176) |
| (Part No. 19; Page No. 177) |
| (Part No. 19; Page No. 178) |
 |
| Member | Member | Deputy Chairman | Chairman |
| `Abdullah ibn Qa`ud | `Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan | `Abdul-Razzaq `Afify | `Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah ibn Baz |
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