What is the basis of polygamy in Islam? Do many men who practice this religion take on more then one wife?

Answer 1

a muslim that have millions of dollars can have 4 wifes, bcz he can give them the same amount of money and everyone of the wifes can have many child, so is much people to pay the food. fo normal people (poor ones) they only can have one wife.

Answer 2

No, polygamy as based in Islam is actually very rare. Horny men who want a couple of lays to spice things up a bit and go behind their wives back are much more common, although I think that isn't very exclusive to the Middle East.

The purpose of polygamy was to make sure that all women would be provided for if a man had the means to do so. If he would like to make sure that a women would be safe and secure, particularly if they have no other family members, he can marry her. Another option is that if his wife can't have children and he would like to take another wife to do so, or to bring another women in the house to help with the family or to make sure that all of his children will have adequate care, then he can. But only with the knowledge and approval of his first wife, and wiht enough money to know that he can provide for her and more children.

Clearly, that doesn't happen very often. And taking two wives is a lot of hard work. The vast majority of men, Muslim or not, are more than happy with one.

[Edit] Sherzade brough up a very good point. The Prophet's wives were usually widows with no family members, or women who had converted and divorced their non-Muslim husbands, who often abused them.

Answer 3

Yes Polygamy is practiced in Islam but not on whim.There has to be good reason for one to take on another wife and so forth for example if your wife may not be able to bear children.Being a Muslim male does not mean that that the majority of men practice polygamy.You must be financially fit to do so,to supports each wife equally.The prophet Muhammad (pubh) took on wives not for self gratification but to provide the ladies in question with honor and respect at a time when society was very cruel to women.

Answer 4

polygamy was since even prophets and there are so many prophets who had so many wives even more that the 12 wives of the prophet himself, so polygay was normal even at the time of the prophet ,Islam didn’t invent polygamy; Islam only made polygamy more humane, instituting equal rights for all wives. And even so, Muslim women are not forced to accept this and may put a condition against it in their marriage contract.

The Qur’an Is the Only Holy Book That Actually Says “Marry Only One”
Images of “sheikhs with harems” are not consistent with Islam, as, in fact, the general rule in Islam is monogamy not polygamy. the Qur’an says what means:
*{Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one.}* (An-Nisaa’ 3:3)

Polygamy in Islam is not recommended; it is only permitted under certain guidelines. Permission to practice polygamy is not associated with mere satisfaction of passion. It is, rather, associated with compassion toward widows and orphans.

Before the Qur’an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygamy, and many men had more than four wives. Islam put an upper limit of four wives, permitting a man to marry more than once, only on the condition that he deal justly with all of them. Yet the same verse points out:
*{Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women}* (Al-Nisaa’ 3:129)

Therefore polygamy is not a rule but an exception.

WISH that my answer helped.

peace.

Answer 5

At the time of the Prophet's coming (pbuh) men did what they wanted to women. The very rich would have numerous wives- 10, 25, 30, it did not matter. Women were very disposable at this time. Islam's main base is the unit of family. A man has to protect, house, and care for any women he is inclined to sleep with. You can not just walk around, see someone you like- flirt with them and have sex. You have to take care of them, marry them, and take care of the children that are born.
Islam permits a man to have three wives if he can support them all, and treat them all with equal time and attention. The women have to agree as well.
However- Allah said "IT IS BETTER FOR YOU TO HAVE ONLY ONE WIFE- IF ONLY YOU KNEW..."
Every single muslim I know has only one wife and is happy that way. But I have heard stories and chatted with people online who's husband has multiple wives.

Answer 6

Mohammed had 4 wives.

Yes many men do in several cultures and religions.

1) Some muslims do in some muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia
2) Some (wealthy) chinese have done so in the past. It still happens to do but it far more rare.
3) Some Mormon sects do as well, these are mostly found in North America.

Answer 7

Not sure

I really really really wish I could have another wife.

I like he one I have, just can't get nearly enough though. And we have the SAME conversations over and over. I need at least one more wife.

I wonder what is involved in converting and how soon after that I
could get another wife. Same for Mormons

This is a serious advantage this religion has for me. Keep the 80 virgins after death and all that. Another wife here and now would be great though.

Answer 8

I'm a muslim from a muslim country, and I have never met a man in my life who had more than one wife (at a time)

Answer 9

"O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may take away part of the dower [money given by the husband to the wife for the marriage contract] ye have given them, except where they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and God brings about through it a great deal of good. (The Noble Quran, 4:19)"


Marriage from multiple women in Islam might not be allowed for those who might result in damaging the society with their marriage by bringing more illiterate, poor, and in many cases starving children to the society.

Let us look at Noble Verse 4:3 "If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your choice, Two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice."

Notice how Allah Almighty allowed polygamy only for helping the orphans (more women are needed to take care of the Muslims' and infidels' orphans after every battle.) Notice also how Allah Almighty ordered the men to be either fair to their wives or else to never marry more than one wife.

Let us look at Noble Verse 4:129 "Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women, even if it is your ardent desire: But turn not away (from a woman) altogether, so as to leave her (as it were) hanging (in the air). If ye come to a friendly understanding, and practise self-restraint, God is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful." Here we clearly see that Allah Almighty tells men that they will never be fair to their wives.

Noble Verse 4:3 was revealed to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him in Madina after he migrated to it from Mecca and established an Islamic state there right after the battle of Uhud in which the Muslims not only had lost badly against the Pagans, but also suffered a dramatic decrease in the number of Muslim men. The Muslim men before that battle were approximately 700. They became only 400 after the battle. This loss had left so many Muslim women (1) Widows, and (2) Not able to get married if they were single.

To make matters even worse, the Muslims had faced yet another battle against the Pagans in Mecca and its neighboring tribes who wanted to attack the Muslims in Madina to finish off Islam once and for all, and by the Jews and the Christians in Madina who betrayed the Muslims in the "battle of Trench" after signing a defense treaty with Muhammad peace be upon him against the Pagans.

All praise due to Allah Almighty. With Allah's Will and Mercy, the Muslims had miraculously won the battle against the Pagans of Mecca and drove them back to where they came from, and then attacked the Jews and the Christians who betrayed the defense treaty and kicked those hypocrites out of Madina forever!

These continuous battles against the Muslims were very costly in terms of Muslim men's lives. The women had to be taken care of one way or another. For this reason, Allah Almighty had revealed the Noble Verse 4:3 to Muhammad peace be upon him to solve the social problems that the Muslims were facing. That is why at the very beginning of the Noble Verse 4:3 we see Allah Almighty setting a conditional clause for Orphans "If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans...(4:3)." This Noble Verse came down for the purpose of protecting the Orphans and to increase the number of the Muslims by allowing the men to marry multiple wives (preferably from the grown Orphans at that time), up to four wives only. The purpose was absolutely not for man's sexual pleasure nor privilege, nor was it to support man's personal ego. It was revealed to solve a major social problem to prevent major sins such as illegal sex and prostitution.

Polygamy is not encouraged in the Noble Quran, nor Allah Almighty had allowed it because He really liked it. He was clearly careful to highly discourage polygamy to men by telling them "but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one...(4:3)" which clearly orders men to either be fair or to not marry at all, despite the fact that we lost many men, Allah Almighty still didn't want polygamy to really take place. That's why He later told men "Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women, even if it is your ardent desire...(4:129)" which clearly nullifies the excuse that He gave them to practice polygamy. Is this a contradiction then? Absolutely not!. It clearly proves that when Allah Almighty allowed polygamy, He only allowed it because we (the Muslims) had an emergency; we lost almost half of our men if not even more. When Islam later became much stronger and Muslims defeated the infidels in the continues battles that were forced upon them (the Muslims), Allah Almighty nullified the excuse that he gave to men to practice polygamy, which would then lead to prohibiting polygamy altogether.