Just Bliss

The Resolution passed by the Sindh Assembly that; ‘A man does not need a permission of his wife for marrying the second time’. A Fatwa (stamped legality) in this regard was given by the Mufti Azam Saudi Arabia that Men should marry more women.

This news initiated me to express my personal views on this hot topic.

What do you think is the reason for this & why this need arose?

The so called Women Right Organizations will just keep on pulling their hair that this is against women’s rights, but no, it’s not. It is just in favor of Women’s rights. Every woman has a right to have a spouse.

Let’s see what does Islam has to say about polygamy

The wisdom behind permitting plural marriage

• The Statistics show that the number of women is greater than the number of men, in most of the countries. If each man were to marry just one woman, this would mean that some women would be left without a husband, which would have a harmful effect on unmarried woman’s body and on society:

The harmful effect is that she would never find a husband to take care of her interests, to give her a place to live, to spend on her, to protect her from insincere desires, and to give her children to bring her joy. This may lead to deviance and going astray, except for those on whom Allah has mercy.

With regard to the harmful effects on society, it is well known that this woman who is left without a husband may deviate from the straight path and, so she may fall into the swamp of disloyalty and prostitution – may Allah keep us safe and sound – which leads to the spread of immorality and the emergence of fatal diseases such as AIDS and other contagious diseases for which there is no cure. It also leads to family breakdown and the birth of children whose identity is unknown, and who do not know who their fathers are.

Those children do not find anyone to show compassion towards them or any mature man to raise them properly. When they go out into the world and find out the truth, that they are illegitimate, that is reflected in their behavior, and they become exposed to deviance and going astray. They may even bear grudges against society, and who knows? They may become the means of their country’s destruction, leaders of deviant gangs, as is the case in many nations in the world. 

2– Men are exposed to incidents that may end their lives, for they work in dangerous professions. They are the soldiers who fight in battle, and more men may die than women. This is one of the things that raise the percentage of husbandless women, and the only solution to this problem is plural marriage.

3 – There are some men who may have strong physical desires, for whom one wife is not enough. If the door is closed to such a man and he is told, you are not allowed more than one wife, this will cause great hardship to him, and his desire may find outlets in forbidden ways.

In addition to that, a woman menstruates each month, and when she gives birth, she bleeds for forty days (this post-partum bleeding is called nifaas in Arabic), at which time a man cannot have intercourse with his wife, because intercourse at the time of menstruation is forbidden, and the harm that it causes has been proven medically. So plural marriage is permitted when one is able to be fair and just.

4– A wife may be barren, or she may not meet her husband’s needs, or he may be unable to have intercourse with her because she is sick. A husband may long to have children, which is a legitimate desire, and he may want to have a sex life within marriage, which is something permissible, and the only way is to marry another wife. It is only fair for the wife to agree to remain his wife and to allow him to marry another.

5– A widow whose husband has died and the man may think that the best thing to do for her is to include her in his household as a wife. This is better for her than leaving her alone and being content only to spend on her.

It is a true Islamic practice that a woman can ask a man for his hand in marriage. Samina Peerzada is a very good example where she proposed her husband, who was studying in the same college. She did everything right in doing it according to Islam.  A woman or her family can send a proposal if they find some man suitable for the woman. It is according to Islam.
In Arab world, Muslim women consider it a pride that their husbands have more wives.

In Islam it is obligatory to marry off a widow before a spinster. In times of Prophet Muhammad SAWW men as well as women were married multiple times. Men used to have 4 wives & women after the divorce or the deaths of their husbands were married to other men. Women were even married 3-4 times; even a few of Prophet’s wives (p.b.u.h) married widows to set example for us.

Why not now?
Please I request all to who my message goes look forward into this matter that a widow, who really needs protection should be married again. Don’t raise fingers on her. These points are what Islamic Society wants us to practice.

Response to this objection:

If we allow men to have plural wives, why are women not allowed to have multiple husbands, why does a woman not have the right to marry more than one man?

There is no point in giving a woman the right to marry multiple husbands, rather that is beneath her dignity and she would not know the lineage of her children, because she is the one who bears the offspring, and it is not permissible for the offspring to be formed from the sperm of a number of men lest the lineage of the child be lost and no one will know who is responsible for bringing up the child; this will lead to breakdown of families, loss of ties between fathers and children, which is not permitted in Islam as it is not in the interests of the woman or of the child or of society as a whole.

Your Comments are most welcome. Critical too, but all should be constructive.