of the
Authorized
English translation of the Quran by
Dr.
Rashad Khalifa
Polygamy
Polygamy was a way of life until the Quran was
revealed 1400 years ago. When the earth was young and under-populated, polygamy
was one way of populating it and bringing in the human beings needed to carry
out God's plan.
By the time the Quran was revealed, the world
had been sufficiently populated, and the Quran put down the first limitations
against polygamy.
Polygamy is permitted in the Quran, but under
strictly observed circumstances. Any abuse of this divine permission
incurs severe retribution. Thus, although polygamy is permitted by God, it
behooves us to examine our circumstances carefully before saying that a
particular polygamous relationship is permissible.
Our perfect example here is the prophet Muhammad.
He was married to one wife, Khadijah, until she died. He had all his children,
except one, from Khadijah. Thus, she and her children enjoyed the Prophet's
full attention for as long as she was married to him; twenty-five years.
For all practical purposes, Muhammad had one
wife - from the age of 25 to 50. During the remaining 13 years of his life,
he married the aged widows of his friends who left many children. The children
needed a complete home, with a fatherly figure, and the Prophetprovided that.
Providing a fatherly figure for orphans is the only specific circumstance
in support of polygamy mentioned in the Quran
(4:3).
Other than marrying widowed mothers of orphans,
there were three political marriages in the Prophet's life. His close friends
Abu Bakr and Omar insisted that he marry their daughters, Aisha and Hafsah,
to establish traditional family ties among them. The third marriage was to
Maria the Egyptian; she was given to him as a political gesture of
friendship from the ruler of Egypt.
This perfect example tells us that a man must
give his full attentionand loyalty in marriage to his wife and children in
order to raise a happy and wholesome family.
The Quran emphasizes the limitations against
polygamy in very strong words:"If you fear lest you may not be perfectly
equitable in treating more than one wife, then you shall be content with
one."
(4:3)
"You cannot be equitable in a polygamous
relationship, no matter how hard you try."
(4:129)
The Quranic limitations against polygamy point
out the possibility of abusing God's law. Therefore, unless we are absolutely
sure that God's law will not be abused, we had better resist our lust and
stay away from polygamy. If the circumstances do not dictate polygamy, we
had better give our full attention to one wife and one set of children.
The children's psychological and social well-being,
especially in countries where polygamy is prohibited, almost invariably dictate
monogamy. A few basic criteria must be observed in contemplating
polygamy:
1.
It must alleviate pain and suffering and not cause any pain or
suffering.
2.
If you have a young family, it is almost certain that polygamy is an
abuse.
3.
Polygamy to substitute a younger wife is an abuse of God's law
(4:19).
info@submission.org
