Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!jarthur!nntp-server.caltech.edu!bes
From: SX43%LIVERPOOL.AC.UK@evans.ucar.edu
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Re: Qur'an on polygamy
Message-ID: <1990Nov27.152352.28388@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 27 Nov 90 15:23:52 GMT
Sender: bes@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Behnam Sadeghi)
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Lines: 75
Approved: bes@tybalt.caltech.edu



//////////////Original message//////////////

As-Salaamu alaikum,

In article <1990Nov23.161205.6001@nntp-server.caltech.edu>, jnawaz@skat.usc.edu
(Jemshed Nawaz) says:
>
>danazzi@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu (Daniel Azzi) writes on Soc.culture.arabic:
>
>>SX43@LIVERPOOL.AC.UK writes:
>>
>>
>>> As far as monogamy is concerned, four wives are a maximum and not
>>>a standard..
>>
>>The Kor'an says "you may marry four provided you treat them equally and you
>will
>>NOT treat them equally".
>>
>
>No the Qur'an does not say the above. The Qur'an says:
>        "...marry women of your choice, two, three, or four; but if
>you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then
>(marry) only one..." (4:3)
>        "And you will not be able to do justice among (your) wives,
>however much you may wish to. But do not turn away (from one of them)
>altogether..." (4:129)
[Rest of pretty thorough article deleted]

I'd just like to add another point or two on this marriage theme..

Firstly, to provide additional evidence that a Muslim *may* have up to
four wives, let us remember that many of the companions of the prophet
had more than one wife. One, a chief of some clan, on turning to Islam,
was told to divorce all but four of his wives. Another example, for
which I don't have the reference, is of a companion who came to  the
prophet seeking guidance in that he was poor, and what should he do. He
was told to marry, for each person brings their own Rizq (sustenance)
with them.. he ended up coming back again and again until he had married
four times, on the advice of the prophet. Perhaps someone else could
actually look through the Sahih collections and post the actual ahadith
relating these two stories; I would be grateful.

Jemshed has already mentioned, and I would like to stress,
that the equality mentioned in the Qur'an must clearly mean equality in
material terms. Even the prophet, Peace on him, who was the best of men,
could not have equal affection for all his wives; but he left an example
of strict fairness in the time and resources he spent on them. This
material aspect is what we are able to control. If a man were able
control his heart (to the degree required to allow him to ensure that he
gave equal affection to all his wives) then why would divorce, that most
hated of halal things, not be haram ?

I have come to the conclusion that Muslims have developed some
sort of inferiority complex by which we apologetically try to make our
Deen appear to conform to the moral system of the West, in an attempt to
make it look civilised in the Western sense. We ought to realise that
Islam is _Perfect_, and try to look at our faith without these shackles
of prejudice imposed by Western ideology; perhaps then will we be able
to confidently _implement_ Islam in our own lives to the extent of
setting forward a real alternative to the blind way of life followed by
most in our part of the world. The old muslim world sure isn't doing
that yet, so maybe it's up to us here.

As far as the polygyny issue is concerned, unless I am convinced
to the contrary from the Qur'an and the Sunnah, I feel that it is OK
even without the existence of special circumstances in society (like
shortage of men after a war..), given the examples I have read and
mentioned above, plus having read Jemsheds post.

                      Peacefully,

                      Fazal.