Understanding Polygamy – Why it is Not For Everybody?

This is with regards to polygyny specifically,

Among Muslim men and why they may need more than one to marry.

Plural marriage then and now and it’s impact to society,

Why is it not for everybody?

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{And if you fear that you may not be just to the orphans, then you may marry whom you please of the women, two, three, or four. But if you fear being unfair, then only one, or what your right hand possesses, for that will make it less likely that you act unfairly.} (Quran 4:3)

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It was not encouraged but Allah made it permissible.

It is indeed conditional.

It was a response to a specific situation then,

Where battles took the lives of most men.

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It was to the best interest and welfare of orphans,

That polygamy had been made permissible for a man.

The entitlement is only if he is supporting an orphan,

Not because he is for no reason in need of more than one.

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The ability to be fair is also another condition,

To achieve so, it all boils down to one’s honest intention.

Are all Muslim men and women suitable for it?

To this date where are we in understanding this topic?

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Nowadays, some men will insist there is a need for polygamy,

The reason is simply because they are not happy.

Disregarding the fact that it is a huge responsibility.

And it is not easy, that’s the reality.

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And as for majority of the women, it is unacceptable.

Like a man is a property and so the idea of sharing is non-negotiable.

The truth is it’s easier to accept if a husband falls into the haram,

Than to support him in doing the permissible, of marrying another woman.

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If a home is already in a brink of destruction,

And divorce is one of the options,

But is unlikely to happen because marriage in Islam is still to be kept as a solid institution,

Will marrying another be the best solution?

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How far are we in comprehension regarding polygamy?

As Muslim individuals and as a Muslim society?

There is no limit to Allah’s knowledge. He knows everything.

Then and now the verses are clear, it is still the same uncorrupted Quran we are reading.

Understanding Polygamy - Why it is Not For Everybody? - About Islam

About Umm Asiyah
I reverted to Islam in 2014. Alhamdulillah. It hasn't been the same since. And I had started to do poetry in relation to my Islamic journey.