Polygamy in Islamic Law: Difference between revisions

According to traditional sources, [[Muhammad]] practiced polygamy. Besides the numerous concubines, he married fifteen women and consummated his marriages with thirteen.<ref>al-Tabari vol.9 p.126-127</ref> According to Tabari he was also accused of being a "womanizer".<ref>"....''Layla’s people said, "’What a bad thing you have done! You are a self-respecting woman, but the Prophet is a womanizer. Seek an annulment from him.’ She went back to the Prophet and asked him to revoke the marriage and he complied with [her request]''...." - al Tabari vol.9 p.139</ref> He was also attributed the sexual prowess of many men:

==Reasons for Muhammad's Marriages==

Islamic scholarship gives the care of widows and poor woman as a societal reason for polygynous marriages. Yet Many of Muhammad's wives were not poor or widows. In fact, one of his wives (Muhammad's cousin, Zainab bint Jash) was originally the wife of his step-son Zaid bin Haritha. As was the case with [[Safiyah|Safiyah bint Huyayy]], the traditional sources indicate that many of his marriages were the results of Muhammad's desire, not compassion for widows or poor women. This is nowhere more evident than in his numerous divorces, which numbered six in total. For example; he divorced ‘Amrah bint Yazid on their wedding night,<ref>{{Tabari|9|p. 139}}; {{Tabari|39|pp. 187-188}}.</ref> due to her suffering from [[leprosy]].<ref>Ibn Ishaq, cited in Guillaume, A. (1960). ''New Light on the Life of Muhammad'', p. 55. Manchester: Manchester University Press</ref><ref>Ibn Hisham note 918 (here he has apparently confused her with Asma bint Al-Numan).</ref><ref>Bewley/Saad 8:100-101.</ref><ref> Women in Islam, By Anne Sofie Roald - Page 221 [Quoted: Najla Hamadeh, Page 335-6]</ref> He also divorced a women named Ghaziyyah bint Jabir when he realized that she was 'old'.<ref>al-Tabari vol.9 p.139</ref> Yet Muhammad refused to allow Ali bin Abu Talib (the husband of his daughter Fatima) to take even a second wife because "what hurts her, hurts me."<ref>{{Bukhari|7|62|157}}</ref><ref>''"An indication of their special relationship is found in the fact that Ali never married another woman as long as Fatima was alive. Sunni sources explain this curiosity in a tradition in which Ali asks for Abu Jahl's daughter in marriage, but the Prophet does not allow him to marry her because it would upset Fatimah."'' - "The Image of Fatima in Classical Muslim Thought," Denise L. Soufi, PhD dissertation, Princeton, 1997, p. 51-52</ref> This seems to indicate that at least for his own daughter he thought that polygyny hurt women, but would not take this fact into account with regard to his own marriages.  

Regardless of it not being acceptable for the husband of Muhammad's daughter, Islam traditionally allows a man to marry up to four wives at any one time:  

Islam also does not traditionally require that the man have the permission of his first wife before marrying a second:

Muslim scholars often claim that the reason why Allah allowed men to marry four wives is that men are killed in battle, thus resulting in women being in more numbers more than men. They also claim that the practice of polygyny curbs adultery, thus leading to more and happier marriages and fewer divorces. Yet many of these are not supported by the facts:

:GENERAL POPULATION: women and men casualties: 1,986,370,000 (probably mostly women)

:Military casualties: 24,456,700

The ratio of births is 105 males to 100 females, so this does not seem to be the case.