The Misuse Of Polygamy The Abuse Of Women

Image via Wikipedia

Many people when they hear of Muslims, or the religion of Islam automatically deem of this religion as a faith that sponsors abuse of women through polygamist relationships. In addition, many Muslim men have not helped in creating this fake perception "That Islam is an abusive religion against women." Since I have become a Muslim many people have reach to me, jokingly, asking: "When am I going to come by 15 wives". Many Muslim men, particularly in the East, have taken to entering into multiple marriages as though this is something mandated in the religion of Islam. As I read my Holy Qur'an I have as of yet to gain justification for this act. The injunction to have multiple wives is mentioned in The Holy Qur'an only once. And in this instance it is mentioned in a context that doesn't give any man the liberty to honest hold wives for the sake of it



The injunction for polygamy is mentioned in Sura(chapter)  4 of The Holy Qur'an called Al-Nisa(The Woman), verses 1-3. This chapter of the Holy Qur'an opens with a divulge from ALLAH to retain your duties him and to each other(Husband and wife) :

"O people, retain your duty to your Lord, Who created you from a single being and created its mate of the same (kind), and spread from these two many men and women. And hold your duty to Allah, by whom you inquire of one of another (your rights), and (to)  the ties of relationship. Surely Allah is ever a Watcher over you." (Holy Qur'an 4:1)  The Qur'an when it was revealed over 1400 years ago to the Prophet Muhammad(Peace be upon him)  stressed the oneness of God in response to the polytheist beliefs accepted in Arabia. The Holy Qur'an also came as a remedy to standing social ills. The abuse of womenfolk is celebrated among the monotheistic faiths traditions we uphold. ALLAH(God)  doesn't promote these ideas, but some men have mature the word of God to fit their have desires. It may be hard to fill by looking at the Muslim world today but The Qur'an and Muhammad's teachings was a liberating force to women at that stage of history. Women were allowed to contain property, vote, considered equal with man, work and allowed the fair of divorce. These may be celebrated practices today, however they were revolutionary in a society(and even Europe)  which looked down on women.

The married location of one man/one wife is the prescribed setting for family as taught by The Holy Qur'an. The Qur'an says to marry one "is more suitable that you may not do injustice." The put a question to may be asked how did a religion which liberated women and teaches men to marry one wife become synonymous with polygamy in the minds of most?  The Qur'an is a solution to situations both normal and ab-normal.

The Battle of Uhud and Polygamy The Holy Qur'an, as a religious text, wasn't revealed at once but rather was revealed over a 23 year period. During this 23 year period many circumstances came up which ALLAH would dispute a original chapter or verse to address each status. This compilation has advance down to us as the prove Qur'an.

History teaches us that once the Muslims left their homeland they had to participate in three major battles Badr-Uhud-Ahzab. These wars stand as triumphs of the smaller party(Muslims)  over numerically and militarily stronger opponents.

During the battle of Uhud, in the 3rd year of Hijra, many Muslims died due to an Ambush attack by the Quarish. The odds were 700 Muslims vs. an army of 3000 strong. History teaches us during this war many Muslim women became widows. In response to this tragedy, ALLAH revealed a Quranic verse (Sura 4:3)  allowing the Muslim men to retract up and own more than one wife. Before we go any further let us review this Quranic verse:

"And if you horror that you cannot do justice to orphans, marry such women as seem estimable to you, two, or three, or four; but if you dread that you will not do justice, then (marry)  only one or that which your good hands contain. This is more generous that you may not do injustice."(Sura 4:3)  From reading the above verse it becomes definite, in response to a plot, ALLAH allowed a petite polygamy while at the same time reminding us "One" wife is better.

We must be aware of the social condition of Arabia in the 7th century. During this period a women couldn't honest go obtain a job or some social welfare. There were few options for the maintenance of women in this society-either marriage or prostitution. So ALLAH made an exception to his normal law to prevent fornication, adultery or prostitution, and allowed men who were spiritually, economically and mentally kindly to marry more than one wife to accumulate maintenance of the female.

Even if you marry more than one wife, according to the Qur'an you must do justice by them all. What does justice mean in this context?  It simply means what you do for one wife must be done for the others. If you steal one a house, car, jewelry or other item you must do the same for all otherwise you are being unjust. If we understanding this in current day society with the high cost of living-we launch to peer how un-practible polygamy can be to a man. It is certainly not honest for sex.

It is the mis-use of the institution of polygamy by some, not all, Muslim men that has led to the abuse of women in the world and the disdain that is heaped upon the religion of Islam by our enemies.

And if some want to condemn the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, for resorting to polygamy we only have to study to the Bible and religious history in general to ogle that many Prophets of God entered this practice for God's enjoy wise purposes.

Polygamy today Now that we have reviewed the historical incidents of the practice of polygamy and the moral- spiritual reasons why this practice was allowed, we now reach to the 21st century and the current day practice of polygamy. The portray of a "Muslim man" with his harem or multiple wives is a accepted image in the mind of many non-Muslims. Some even promote the conception that ALLAH will allow Muslim men to have "70 virgins" in paradise-if slain in battle. I know many may say these are the words of Prophet Muhammad(Peace be upon him) . However, I would like to point out the Prophet said: "After my death many fake reports(hadiths)  will be attributed to me, but you can contemplate the truthfulness of the reports by the Qur'an."

I say that to say that somewhere along the line we have misinterpreted our holy book and words of our Prophet for the relieve of our personal pleasures. The heaven described by The Holy Qur'an is not some tall sexual orgy of Muslim men chasing virgins. We must understand by them[women] being described as virgins in heaven only means they are pure women and untouched by filth, but it has nothing to do with sex.

Thanks for reading these words!

Copyright2007 Mustafaa Muhammad

Http://brothermustafaa..com