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Notice that the Quran permits but does not command a man to have four wives. Furthermore, the Quran stipulates that a man is responsible for the maintenance of his wife or wives. If a man has more than one wife, he has to provide separate living accommodation for each of his wives.
Multiple marriages are a heavy responsibility on the male. It is not a pleasure trip as some people may assume. Some even imagine all kinds of sexual exploits involving a man and his wives altogether. However, such activity is not permissible in Islam. A man must divide his time equally among his wives. He may, for example, spend one night with each wife on a rotating schedule.
If a man cannot maintain justice in the treatment of his wives, the Quran stipulates that he is to have no more than one wife.
Polygamy provides a solution to some of life's problems. When there is a shortage of men, for example after a devastating war, many women will be unable to find husbands. Most women in that situation, given the option, would rather be a co-wife than no wife. If one maintains a strict monogamy in such a situation, moral depravity is bound to result. Also in case that the wife is life sick and can't fulfill the marriage duties, she may prefer her husband to marry with a second wife rather divorcing her or committing illicit sex outside marriage (as usually done in Europe or America). Also, it may happen that a widow is having children and she can't afford their expenses. Then it is better for a man to marry her and help her financially than coming in and out to support her children.
It may be useful at this point to see what some non-Muslim writers are now saying on this much misunderstood subject.
John Esposito says:
Although it is found in many religious and cultural traditions, polygamy (or more precisely, polygyny) is most often identified with Islam in the minds of Westerners. In fact, the Quran and Islamic Law sought to control and regulate the number of spouses rather than give free license. (John Esposito, Islam: The Straight Path, Oxford University, 1988, p. 97).
Esposito then goes on to explain that in a society which allowed men an unlimited number of wives, Islam limited the number of wives to four. Then he continued to say:
The Quran permits a man to marry up to four wives, provided he can support and treat them all equally. Muslims regard this Quranic command as strengthening the status of women and the family for it sought to ensure the welfare of single women and widows in a society whose male population was diminished by warfare, and to curb unrestricted polygamy (John Esposito: Islam the Straight Path, p. 97).
Karen Armstrong explains much the same in her book entitled Muhammad: A Western Attempt to Understand Islam. She says:
We have to see the ruling about polygamy in context. In seventh-century Arabia, when a man could have as many wives as he chose, to prescribe only four was a limitation, not a license to new oppression (Karen Armstrong, Muhammad: A Western Attempt to Understand Islam, Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1991, p. 191).
It is unfortunate that the Western media often gives the wrong impression of what Islam is all about. Karen Armstrong writes:
Popular films like Harem give an absurd and inflated picture of the sexual life of the Muslim sheikh which reveals more about Western fantasy than it does about the reality (p. 190).
Some people incorrectly assume that because of this ruling most Muslim men would have four wives. However, as Huston Smith points out, "multiple wives are seldom found in Islam today" (The Worlds Religions, p. 252). Ira Zepp, Jr. says that "less than 2% of Muslim marriages are polygamous" (A Muslim Primer, p. 180).
About this being a solution for the problem of surplus women, Ira Zepp, Jr. comments on page 181 of his book:
The Roman Catholic Church is facing the same problem today in parts of Africa. Social and economic reasons are forcing the Church to reconsider polygamy as a Christian option. (See Polygamy Reconsidered by Eugene Hillman, New York: Orbis Press, 1973).
it was in the past when the prophet (peace be upon him) went to war and a lot of men died so many women were left without men so this law passed. Also because it is a fact that there will be more women on earth than men and i think its because of a marriage situation
Actually Islam does not "allow" 4 wives, it actually restricts the number to 4. Before the Quranic edict, multiple wives were limitless, especially since polygyny pre-existed Islam.
Having unlimited wives poses obvious problems for women, who would tend to be treated more like property and never being able to enjoy much protection or attention. With a sense of family justice in mind, the Quran put forth the restriction to 4 wives, with a caution to men to be diligent about being just with one's time and resources when there is more than one wife.
Because the Islamic faith permits poligamy and the laws in Islamic countries permit poligamy. If the Muslim man is in a country that does not permit poligamy, e.g. the U.S. or the U.K., he is subject to the laws in that country and may not marry more than one wife in that country. It would be alright with Islam, but he still must obey the laws of the land where he is.
There are different conjectures on that. It's worth remembering that four is the LIMIT on wiving; prior to Islam, Arabs took as many wives as they could afford. One feasible explanation is that it was so that with a shortage of men -- killed in religious discussions -- no Muslim woman would have to be without a man, a condition in which she was effectively worthless. Supposedly, anyone who takes more than one wife has to provide equally for all of them, not just his favorite.
The system of polygamy was rampant in Arabia before the advent of Islam so Prophet Muhammad (SAW) limited it. In Christianity, celibacy is good and monogamy is a concession to human desire. In Islam, monogamy is good and polygamy is a concession to human desire. Right now, women are the majority on this planet so polygamy maybe used later on in the world.
Men are allowed four marriages for many reasons. First of all, it's important to understand that muslim men rarely have more than 1 wife, and though a maximum of four are allowed, there are conditions. He must be able to provide for all his wives and treat them equally are two (of many) conditions. and many times it's because one of the wives is unable to care for herself (eg. she could be a poor widow). there are also more women in the world than men. also now many men are cheating on their own wives. this way there isn't any cheating and all the wives should be happy with the marriage.
for more info on women rights in islam, check the link below
The overwhelming majority of Muslims marry only one wife. Just in exceptional case that a Muslim man may be allowed to marry more than one wife up to four. Marrying more than one wife is subject to strict conditions and rules. Among these rules is that he should seek the acceptance of his former wife or wives). Also he should treat his wives equally (something that is not easy and tolerable). He had given this allowance just in cases as his former wife is so sick that she can't practice sex with him or she is incapable of bringing a child and her husband is seeking a child, or for other strong reasons.
Historically, it was the practice for men to marry unlimited number of women in addition to having slave women. This was the rule in all religions including Judaism and Christianity. Islam religion is the first God religion to limit the number of licit wives to four and with strict conditions.
Refer to question below.
4 wives is permitted for special situations with and has terms. at least in Iran rare Muslims marry 4 wives. in fact as a Muslim I have not seen even one man marrying 4 wives.
Quran recommends having only one wife. but in some situations for example after a war when many woman are alone without any husband it is permitted to have more then one to they can have a support for their life.
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How many wives can an Algerian Muslim have?
A Muslim man living in any part of the world can have Four wives at a time according to Islam if he can do justice to each one of them.
Can a married Muslim Indian man a Muslim Philippine woman?
per Islam religion, yes. However, he should have four wives at the same time and his former wife (or wives) should agree upon the new marriage. However, one should obey the local or country law that may allow him or not.
How many wives may a muslim have at the same time?
A Muslim man is entitled to have a maximum of four wives at the same time but subject to strict conditions. Refer to related questions below.
Is it true that Muslim men could have up to four wives but a women can't have a second husband?
Yes
How many wives can a Syrian man have at once?
A Syrian man if Muslim then he is allowed to have up to four wives but subject to strict conditions. If the Syrian man is Christian then he is allowed to have one wife not more.
Did Solomon have four queens?
It is not known, this was an old (Jeopardy) question in the seventies that tried to argue(facetiously) that Poker was knownin Biblical times. It mgith be that Mohammad had four Queens as Islam permits a man to have four wives concurrently- and this was not derived from playing cards.
Is polygamy practiced in the country of Jordan?
As Jordan is a Muslim country, men may have up to four wives (with constraints like consent and necessity also applying); this form of polygamy is called polygyny. However, women may not have more than one husband.
What is the duration of Four Wives?
The duration of Four Wives is 1.83 hours.
Who is the author of Four Wives?
Four Wives was written by author Wendy Walker
When was Four Wives created?
Four Wives was created on 1939-12-25.
What are the womens apartments of a Muslim palace?
The living quarters of a group of Islamic is known as a harem. Muslim men are allowed to have up to four permanent wives.
How many wives did Muhammad Ali have?
He had four wives.
