Marriage and Polygamy

Islam permits limited polygamy; however polygamy 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. Although Islam gives options of having more than one wife, Quran is the only religious book on the face of the earth that says ‘Marry Only One’.

It is mentioned in the Quran “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.” (Quran 4:3) “Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women....” (Quran 4:129)

Polygamy is permitted in all world religions. 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.

Polygamy is permitted in Judaism. According to Talmudic law, Abraham had three wives, and Solomon had hundreds of wives. The practice of polygamy continued until Rabbi Gershom ben Yehudah (960 C.E to 1030 C.E) issued an edict against it. The Jewish Sephardic communities living in Muslim countries continued the practice 'til as late as 1950, until an Act of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel extended the ban on marrying more than one wife.

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

A man in Islam is instructed to deal with his wife gracefully and not harshly. Regarding the aspect of harmony in married life, Allah mentions in the Quran “…Live with them (women) in equity” (Quran 4:19)

Marriage in Islam is an extremely important institution which safeguards the rights of men, women and children while satisfying the physical, emotional and intellectual needs of the family members. It nourishes unselfish behaviour, generosity, and love in the framework of a well-organized family system. Allah, the Exalted mentions in the Quran ““And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may dwell with them in serenity and tranquillity…”(Quran 30:21)

Marriage is not just a physical or emotional necessity in Islam but, in fact, a sign from Allah! It is a relationship of mutual rights and obligations based on divine guidance. Allah created men and women with complementary natures and, in the Quran, He laid out a system of laws to support harmonious interaction between the sexes. Allah, the Exalted mentions in the Quran “…They (your wives, O men) are a garment for you and you (men) are a garment for them...” (Quran 2:187). Clothing provides physical protection and covers the beauty and faults of the body. Likewise, a spouse is viewed this way. Each protects the other and hides the faults and complements the characteristics of the spouse

The first of the wife’s rights is to receive Mahr (dowry), (in Islam the groom has to pay the Mahr to the bride) a gift from the husband, which is part of the marriage contract and required for the legality of the marriage. The second right of a wife is maintenance. It is mandatory for the husband to pay the Mahr before taking his bride as his wife

The consent of both the bride and the groom are a mandate for the wedding to be solemnised. The prophet nullified weddings which happened without the consent of the brides. Islam provided the right of choice for women 1,400 years ago when women were considered lowly everywhere in the world

Islam is a way of life, and provides options for remarriage irrespective of whether it is a man or woman. Similarly it also gives rights to both the men and women to seek divorce and to part ways, however it is mentioned in the Quran that Allah likes not the ones who break relationships

The Prophet mentioned “The best of you are those who are best to their wife” (Al-Tirmidhi). Husband and wife are equal partners of the family and play their part in their respective fields. Allah, the Exalted mentions in the Quran “…They (your wives, O men) are a garment for you and you (men) are a garment for them...” (Quran 2:187)

Islam encourages marriage and prohibits pre-marital and extra-marital relationships. Islam prescribes severe punishment irrespective of gender bias

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that “When a servant of Allah marries, he has completed half of his religious obligations and he must fear Allah in order to complete the second half”