Polygamy and Islam
The Islamic Way
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THE ISLAMIC WAY
The solution to this problem in the Islamic
shari‘ah
is
the giving of permission to men, under special
conditions, to marry more than one woman. This
principle of polygamy, as enshrined in the Islamic
shari‘ah
is designed, in actual fact, to save women
from the ignoble consequences mentioned above.
This commandment, although apparently general in
application, was given only as a solution to a
specific social problem. It provides an arrangement
whereby surplus women may save themselves from
sexual anarchy and have a proper stable family life.
That is to say, it is not a question of adopting
polygamy rather than monogamy. The choice is
between polygamy and sexual anarchy.
If the commandment to practice polygamy is seen
in the abstract, it would appear to be biased in
favour of men. But when placed in the context of
social organization, it is actually in favour of
women. Polygamy is both a proper and a natural
solution to women’s problems.
