I know Why is a man allowed to have more than one wife in Islam? i.e. why is polygamy allowed in Islam?

Question

Definition of Polygamy
Polygamy means a system of marriage whereby one person has more than one spouse. Polygamy can be of two types. One is polygyny where a man marries more than one woman, and the other is polyandry, where a woman marries more than one man. In Islam, limited polygyny is permitted; whereas polyandry is completely prohibited.
Now coming to the original question, why is a man allowed to have more than one wife?
Qur’an is the only religious scripture in the world that says,"marry only one".
Qur’an is the only religious book, on the face of this earth, that contains the phrase ‘marry only one’. There is no other religious book that instructs men to have only one wife. In none of the other religious scriptures, whether it be the Vedas, the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, the Geeta, the Talmud or the Bible does one find a restriction on the number of wives. According to these scriptures one can marry as many as one wishes. It was only later, that the Hindu priests and the Christian Church restricted the number of wives to one.
Many Hindu religious personalities, according to their scriptures, had multiple wives. King Dashrat, the father of Rama, had more than one wife. Krishna had several wives.
In earlier times, Christian men were permitted as many wives as they wished, since the Bible puts no restriction on the number of wives. It was only a few centuries ago that the Church restricted the number of wives to one.
Polygyny is permitted in Judaism. According to Talmudic law, Abraham had three wives, and Solomon had hundreds of wives. The practice of polygyny continued till Rabbi Gershom ben Yehudah (95% C.E to 1030 C.E) issued an edict against it. The Jewish Sephardic communities living in Muslim countries continued the practice till as late as 1950, until an Act of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel extended the ban on marrying more than one wife.
Hindus are more polygynous than Muslims
The report of the ‘Committee of The Status of Woman in Islam’, published in 1975 mentions on page numbers 66 and 67 that the percentage of polygamous marriages between the years 1951 and 1961 was 5.06% among the Hindus and only 4.31% among the Muslims. According to Indian law only Muslim men are permitted to have more than one wife. It is illegal for any non-Muslim in India to have more than one wife. Despite it being illegal, Hindus have more multiple wives as compared to Muslims. Earlier, there was no restriction even on Hindu men with respect to the number of wives allowed. It was only in 1954, when the Hindu Marriage Act was passed that it became illegal for a Hindu to have more than one wife. At present it is the Indian Law that restricts a Hindu man from having more than one wife and not the Hindu scriptures.
Let us now analyze why Islam allows a man to have more than one wife.
Qur’an permits limited polygyny
As I mentioned earlier, Qur’an is the only religious book on the face of the earth that says ‘marry only one’. The context of this phrase is the following verse from Surah Nisa of the Glorious Qur’an:
"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." [Al-Qur’an 4:3]
Before the Qur’an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygyny and many men had scores of wives, some even hundreds. Islam put an upper limit of four wives. Islam gives a man permission to marry two, three or four women, only on the condition that he deals justly with them.
In the same chapter i.e. Surah Nisa verse 129 says:
"Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women...."[Al-Qur’an 4:129]
Therefore polygyny is not a rule but an exception. Many people are under the misconception that it is compulsory for a Muslim man to have more than one wife.
Broadly, Islam has five categories of Do’s and Don’ts:
•‘Fard’ i.e. compulsory or obligatory
•‘Mustahab’ i.e. recommended or encouraged
•‘Mubah’ i.e. permissible or allowed
•‘Makruh’ i.e. not recommended or discouraged
•‘Haraam’ i.e. prohibited or forbidden
Polygyny falls in the middle category of things that are permissible. It cannot be said that a Muslim who has two, three or four wives is a better Muslim as compared to a Muslim who has only one wife.
Average life span of females is more than that of males
By nature males and females are born in approximately the same ratio. A female child has more immunity than a male child. A female child can fight the germs and diseases better than the male child. For this reason, during the pediatric age itself there are more deaths among males as compared to the females.
During wars, there are more men killed as compared to women. More men die due to accidents and diseases than women. The average life span of females is more than that of males, and at any given time one finds more widows in the world than widowers.
India has more male population than female due to female feticide and infanticide
India is one of the few countries, along with the other neighboring countries, in which the female population is less than the male population. The reason lies in the high rate of female infanticide in India, and the fact that more than one million female fetuses are aborted every year in this country, after they are identified as females. If this evil practice is stopped, then India too will have more females as compared to males.
World female population is more than male population
In the USA, women outnumber men by 7.8 million. New York alone has one million more females as compared to the number of males, and of the male population of New York one-third are gays i.e sodomites. The U.S.A as a whole has more than twenty-five million gays. This means that these people do not wish to marry women. Great Britain has four million more females as compared to males. Germany has five million more females as compared to males. Russia has nine million more females than males. God alone knows how many million more females there are in the whole world as compared to males.
Restricting each and every man to have only one wife is not practical
Even if every man got married to one woman, there would still be more than thirty million females in U.S.A who would not be able to get husbands (considering that America has twenty five million gays). There would be more than four million females in Great Britain, 5 million females in Germany and nine million females in Russia alone who would not be able to find a husband.
Suppose my sister happens to be one of the unmarried women living in USA, or suppose your sister happens to be one of the unmarried women in USA. The only two options remaining for her are that she either marries a man who already has a wife or becomes public property. There is no other option. All those who are modest will opt for the first.
In Western society, it is common for a man to have mistresses and/or multiple extra-marital affairs, in which case, the woman leads a disgraceful, unprotected life. The same society, however, cannot accept a man having more than one wife, in which women retain their honorable, dignified position in society and lead a protected life.
Thus the only two options before a woman who cannot find a husband is to marry a married man or to become public property. Islam prefers giving women the honorable position by permitting the first option and disallowing the second. There are several other reasons, why Islam has permitted limited polygyny, but it is mainly to protect the modesty of women. (Dr.Zakir Naik www.irf.net)

Answer 1

Before you ask question about what is in the Quran. First read it.
Muhammad told his people it is limited to four wives. but he had married eleven wives at one time after the death of his first wife.
now ask yourself.
why didn't he marry more than one when he was married to his first wealthy wife? could it be because she had the say of his life and that is why he didn't marry anyone else!
Why did Muhammad break his own rules, and yet he told his people only four wives at a time.
Respect for the wife! yah sure, whatever makes you feel better.
A man can divorce his wife by just saying three words, and it is over. after that she is gone with only her clothing.
There are several kind of marriages in Islam:
The pleasure marriage, where a man can marry a women for as little as the weekend, and then she goes back home to her family, and the marriage contract is over. FYI, Islam call their marriage with a contract as if it was a business deal. that is how much respect they have for their women. That is kind of a call lady, or lady of the night. for the right price, the man can have a girl be his wife, respecful legal, and then send her back to her family or is it the madam!
there is another form, which is a man would marry a woman, she wouldn't live with him, but he has the right to visit he, have sex with her anytime he likes. Kind of a lady in waiting. she can't marry another guy, and he can come in and goes as he pleases. very respectful for that woman too!

Respectull!! Muhammad had concubines. Mary the coptic was one of them. She was a gift from an Egptian so as Muhammad would stay away from him, because he didn't want to convert to Islam, so he gave Muhammad two women, and Muhammad took the most beautiful one as he did as always.
Respect women! Muhammad owned slaves, and many of them were women and children. One of his women was a Jewish woman whom he killed her father, brother, and yes Her husband. and he took her to his tenet that night and he had his way with her before he married her.

Islam and respecting women as as oil and water, so very hard to mix.

When those rule were written the ration of men to women is not as it is today, and it shouldn't be applied for today. The main reason for them was war, and that region was always in one form of conflict or another, and the men tend to be without women for a long time, and hence the various forms of marraige, and the pleasure wife, and the lady in waiting wife. as well as their concubines or slaves.

And the other reason is Kids. The more a man can have wives, the more kids they can have. check the king of Moroco he has over 1042. that is just from one man. Muhammad ordered his people to produce a lot of kids to increase the Muslim population.

Question for you why was it adviced for a man to marry a woman without a husband, yet all Muhammad's wives were prohibitted from marrying anyone after his death, and they remained all their life without a husbad after him? why the rules do no apply to them? think about it. Does that mean they should not be protected by another man! or was he didn't want any other man to touch his women even after his death?

I am sure you will not believe my post, and accuse me of making them up. Don't take any of my words. read the Quran for yourself.

Check where you get your infos. Just because the author has 'Dr' before their name, it doesn't mean they know everything. The truth and nothing but the truth. I wouldn't trust Naik with or without the Dr.

Answer 2

The teaching was where there are orphans a man may take more than one wife so the children can be brought up by two parents, a man and a woman. A sound idea,.
Having a number of virgin brides is a perversion of Islam, a man should only on one occasion marry a virgin, any further wives should be Widows with Children

Answer 3

It is the religion. If you adopt it then accept. You are an outsider. Live and let live my friend. You are born free learn from it. You , I or anybody else has never come back after death to spread the knowledge of after life. All religious books are written by man. Nature gave you a brain use it - books are not always right and neither are the people.

Loosen up friend,look around, spread love and enjoy this short priviledged life on this beautiful Planet which humans are bent on destroying for their selfish non-caring interests and greed.

Answer 4

Any religion that practices polygamy is simply so it can expand. (have kids of same religion)


Any scholar will tell you that.


95 percent of muslim men today don't even think about having two wives. And for the five percent that do they are required to treat BOTH woman equally with the SAME love and SAME support and SAME finacial support. BOTH woman also have to agree to the fact that they are not the only wife. Otherwise a man is condemed from marrying more than one.


I'm sorry sir i know its sucks that Muslims can have two woman in bed. I know how much you wanted it too but, sorry ur not muslim.

Answer 5

Congralutions! That's the longest question I've seen in a long time!

On the other hand, you seem to be suggesting that polygyny is a good thing.

I'd maybe be cool with it if polyandry (one woman having more than one husband) was allowed too.

But no. This is just the usual mysogynistic rant.

How dare you suggest that unmarried women are "public property"? That really is one of the most offensive things I've read in years.

Any chance of you effing off?

Answer 6

I already understood this, BUT, it takes a real man to deal with more than one spouse fairly, AND for them to deal fairly with one another. The theology is also complex. It has always been recognised as complex when there are multiple wives.

AND the "public property" crap has got to stop.

AND the Catholic Church has far more celibate sisters and nuns than male clergy...and so, we see that it is not a clear necessity, if we take only what you say into consideration.

Answer 7

i have aquestion for you why did you post a question only to ansewer it your self ? also you used new population counts for an old problem i am asuming you are talking about this historically . since its historic you woul need figures from the past and men couldn't be gay then. i am going to asume you are talking about the long ago past . women have every other option in todays society just as many as men . If you arn't talking about the past you are being offensive to women by saying if they arn't married there public property and that they have no other options in life and should be reported i 'm sure thats in the policy.

Answer 8

ok in islam u must love for ur sister what u love for urself so lets think about it... there are i think its 7 or 8 women to every ma in the world so we already know that there aint enough men to go around so if u know a good sister who is looking for a good husband then would u not want her to have as good as you? she is ur sister and u have good husband so why would u not want the best for both of them?

also the quran is the ONLY religious book that says have one if u cannot be just to them.
and if u are not just then on the day of judment the man will be raised hanging to one side.

Answer 9

Don`t supposed you care to add the thoughts of womankind in all of this. Not that they are allowed to say too much, are they? Great for the Men, p b a h!

Answer 10

sorry, even though i didn't read, i know what you are talking about though. yes it is allowed in islam under special circumstances but muslims are also encouraged to remain with only one wife for more than one would be too difficult for any human being!