why are muslims allowed to practice polygamy?

Answer 1

Because the women seems to be more than men.Islam is not only the teachings to be used in the Prophets' centuries and all,but it Islam is the way of life.Its teachings are for forever,and suitable for any time..until the End of The Day.In this case,God knows everything,means what He creates got its own 'hikmah' or something behind it.He knows everything behind it that we humans,can't afford to step into the limit of thinking.Moreover,who are we to object the God,we are to small to object,give complaints about this and tht.It is actually is,already good that we are chosen to live in it.Back to the question,it seems that women are more than men.We know that men are given more abilities than women.In Islam men are the ones to lead women.There is an Arabic phrase which is 'Ar-rijalu kawwamu ala annisa' means men are the leaders of the women.If the situation is where women suffer from something like poorness,men are there to save them(with smaller help than the God,of course His help is the 1st)..so there we could see many lives can be saved.Polygamy is a 'sunnah' where if it's being done,there is a reward,but if it's not being done,we lose nothing and gain nothing.Polygamy doesn't teach any men to marry as many women they like based on their lust,but to see it in the side of fortune(so many examples of it)..so okay,I have to turn off this laptop!

Answer 2

Historically, most of the prophets married more than one wife christians and jews know about prophet Abraham'story with his 3wives.Abraham had 3 wives in the bible: Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah. (In book of GENESIS)

-Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. (1 KINGS 11:3)

-David had many wives (2 SAMUELS 5:13 i see Polygamy one of of the proofs that muslims only have the true religion of GOD -the religion of all prophets-because only Muslims practice Polygamy

Permission to practice polygamy is not associated with mere satisfaction of passion. It is rather associated with compassion toward widows and orphans. It was the Quran that limited and put conditions on the practice of polygamy



There is no doubt that the second wife legally married and treated kindly is better off than a mistress without any legal rights or expermanence



The Quran says, "you can marry 2 or 3 and up to 4 women if you can be equally just with each of them" (4:3). Since it is very difficult to be equally just with all wives, in practice, most of the Muslim men do not have more than one wife. Prophet Muhammad (P) himself from age 24 to 50 was married to only one woman, Khadija. In the western society, some men who have one wife have many extramarital affairs. Thus, a survey was published in "U.S.A. Today" (April 4, 1988 Section D) which asked 4,700 mistresses what they would like their status to be. They said that "they preferred being a second wife rather than the 'other woman' because they did not have the legal rights, nor did they have the financial equality of the legally married wives, and it appeared that they were being used by these men."

Answer 3

First you should note that polygyny, not polygamy is allowed in Islam. Only men are allowed to marry more than one wife. Polyandry, however, ( i.e. women having more than one husband) is prohibited. I'll get to that later.

Polygyny is a very ancient practice found in many societies, both present and past. It was not something established by Islam. It is neither mandatory, nor encouraged, but merely permitted. Permission to practice polygyny is not associated with mere satisfaction of passion. It is rather associated with compassion toward widows and orphans. Islam, in fact, regulated this practice, limited it, made it more humane, and instituted equal rights and status for all wives. It established conditions and rules in a time where Arabs used to have as many as ten – or even more – wives and considered them to be ‘property’. A man is only allowed, at most, four wives on the condition that he can fulfill the stringent conditions of treating each fairly, as well as providing each with separate housing. “Marry of the women that please you, two, three, or four, but if you fear that you will not be able to deal justly with them, then only one […] that is more likely to make you avoid bias.” It is also evident that the general rule in Islam is monogamy and not polygyny: only 2% of Muslims practice it over the world.

Other religions have legitimized the practice of polygyny too. There are no scriptural accounts of Jesus prohibiting it, though the Jewish society around him exercised it. On the contrary, the Old Testament states that prophet Solomon “had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines” (1 Kings 11:3). David is also said to have many wives and concubines in Samuel 2, 5:13 : “And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem.” Similar to Muslims, early Christians were engaged in polygamous relationships, following Jewish tradition.

The point that is often misunderstood is that women in other cultures do not necessarily see polygyny as something unacceptable or degrading. The proof of that is that some of these women are in polygamous relationships themselves. No woman can be forced into this kind of marriage if she does not wish it. Women also have the right to exclude it in their marriage contract. Furthermore, the environmental settings of the past are ignored by critics who view polygyny as immoral. The fact is that, back then, there were more women than men due to the constant state of war people lived in. Husbands would get killed, and widows would be left with no one to provide for them. Polygamous relationships were considered normal. Now, polygyny is impractical and almost absent.

As for some of the reasons why polygyny is allowed, and not polyandry: 1. in the past, polyandry would prevent a husband and wife from knowing who the real father is (so divorce here would be an issue) 2. back then also, men were the providers, so there was no need to have more than one husband. The same cannot be said about having more than one wife, for you would be providing for a widow who probably has children 3. a polyandrous relationship makes all partners extremely susceptible, sooner or later, to sexual diseases, but the opposite is not true for polygyny because it takes a woman approx 40 days to purify her system from the semen of a man. There are many more reasons.

Hope this wasnt too long.

Peace be with you

Answer 4

First, I don't think Islam really support polygamy practice. In fact polygamy is one of hottest debate, there are much disagreement even among moslem them self. Some moslem support but others don't.

They who support polygamy usually justified polygamy as a way to help women who have been left by her husband. But the question is: should they help women but expecting sexual reward? Why they are not just give her some support she need without asking her to marry him?. By the way, I seldom hear that they eager to take an old and unattractive women to be their wife. They usually marry young and attractive women.

Another say that women population is much more than men. In fact, world statistics show that at younger age men and woman number equally. Women outnumber men only at older age. So, the argument that women are more than men are not relevant anymore.

Person who support polygamy because they say it's allowed by religion is a big liar. Acctuallly, they cannot control their own sexual desires and try to justify their disgusting desire using religious reason.

Answer 5

This was made permissible in a time when men were often killed in war and women and children were left behind to survive on their own. To alleviate some of the social issues that resulted from this, men were allowed to marry more than one woman, as long as he was able to support them all equally. This means being able to EQUALLY provide financially and emotionally for ALL of his wives. If he was unable to do so, then he was not permitted to marry more than once. This is rarely practiced in Islam today because in many Muslim countries a man must be able to prove to his government that he can in fact provide equally for more than one family and he usually needs the permission from his first wife to marry again. In today's world, many women will not tolerate or agree to this.

Answer 6

All Muslim countries allow polygamy , may be except Tunisia .

Answer 7

The Islamic polygamy is not polygamy.

It is a one sided allowance for the males to seek more than one and upto 4 wives. I said WIVES.

This means that the women he marries have to have their own house, and they get a share of his inheritance and hes BOUND to take care of them and their children for the rest of his married life.

Polygamy, is not this.

It might look polygamous to you, because you dont know the rules God imposes on men in Islam. But trust me, God puts down so many responsibilities for a man, youd think the males are oppressed in this great religion!! :)

They HAVE to take care of the wives, their kids and treat them right. Or else theyre doomed to suffer in hell for illtreatment.

Now this was laid down to protect women and not really men.

Because marriage protects the womans rights, gives her and her children inheritance and a source of support.

If however, a muslim man choses to have more than one wife in a country where the rules say he cant, hes comitting sin. Because in Islam, the women you marry HAVE to be recognized by the law of the land to be your wife, so they may receive inheritance and support.

Answer 8

A Muslim man could marry two, three or four wives. But the important condition is that he should be able to bear all the expenditures of marital life and should be able physically for polygamy. Allah says (Interpretation of the meaning): {Marry 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 that your right hands possess}[4:3].
1- It is known that the number of women outnumber that of men. This is undeniable reality. If every man contents himself with only one woman, then there will remain a huge number of women without experiencing marital life. As a result they will be deprived of having offspring. Likewise, they will be denied satisfying their sexual instincts legally, on which Allah has created the humans. Dissatisfaction of sexual instincts. This in turn might lead the women to taking refuge in what Allah has forbidden or befalling in the claws of the criminals, or getting lost in the distasteful meanness.
2- The growth and development of a generation that believes in the Oneness of Allah the Exalted, and stands for the evolution of the earth and the succession in it.
3- Sometimes a man marries a pious woman, but happens to be barren. If Allah has not legislated the marriage with a second one, then there will be only two ways before this man: either he divorces his wife, an act which he might not want to do, or he would hold her without having any children who cause his happiness in this world and with whom he would profit in the hereafter.
There are some other benefits that are the essential fruit of the legislation from All-Knowing and All-Wise. Here I would like to point out that Allah when permitting the man to have polygamy, He did not leave him unbound, but restricted him with certain rules and regulations that guarantee His rights to all, and at the same time these regulations stop the transgressor at his limit. It is the method adopted by All-Knowing, All-Wise in His legislation.
I hope these benefits - what we left are more though - are sufficient to justify the legality/lawfulness to the polygamy, and to convince the one who has a heart or gives his ear while he is heedful.
And it is our turn now to ask you: ' Tell us please, who are more unjust concerning the right of women: Are they those who call her to the legislation of Allah, in which she can enjoy justice, security, chastity, and other benefits in her favor in general, and in this matter of polygamy in particular, or are her rights fulfilled by those who merchandise on her behalf exposing her, calling her to filthiness, preventing her from superiority, beautifying the vice for her, making her loathe the beautiful, and finally throwing her in the snare of adultery and debauchery? They are however, preventing her from marrying a polygamist, and making such kind of marriage abominable in her views. At the same time they are allowing fornication for her, and beautifying it (before her). As a result she is deprived from joining the family convoy and living under the family shade.
Eventually, when she becomes pregnant, she does not find any body who can take care of her, and reduce her trouble. And when she gives birth to a baby, she finds himself/herself an orphan by birth, an absolute orphan! And she alone suffers for the child's education, expenses and his nourishing.
On the other hand, the child also lives shouldering the burden of orphanage, craving for the respect of parenthood and the honor of legal relation/lineage.
Which of the two is more unjust? The answer is perhaps! Clear.

Answer 9

You'll have to bear with me on this, because I'm basing this on other small groups I've heard about.

If a woman couldn't earn an income on her own but had herself and kids to feed, she'd have to attach herself to someone who could make money.

If there were more women than men around, maybe one man could squeeze in several more women and kids for the money.

Answer 10

Gender-biased standards: MEN-made religion with
MEN-made rules.