|
Concerning
polygamy
Question:
Some people say that marrying more than one wife is not allowed
unless a person has orphans under his care and he fears that
he will not do justice between them. Then he may marry their
mother or one of her daughters. For evidence, they quote the
verse:
{And
if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with
the orphan-girls, then marry women of your choice, two, three
or four...}, [Soorah
an-Nisaa., Aayah
3).
Response:
This statement is false.
The
meaning of the verse is that if a person has under his care
an orphan and he fears that he will not give her the proper
amount of dower, then he should marry other women, for there
are many women and Allaah will not make things difficult for
him. The verse points to the legality of marrying two, three
or four wives. This is allowed because it leads to more chastity,
lowering of eyesight and guarding of the private parts.
Furthermore,
that is a cause for more children and the chastity of more
women, as well as them being treated properly and cared for.
There is no doubt that the woman who has one-half of a husband
or one-third or one-fourth is better off than the one who
has no husband at all. However, one must meet the condition
of justice among the wives and the ability to take care of
and tend to the wives. If a person fears that he will not
do justice, then he may only many one wife in addition to
having slaves. The practice of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam)
indicates and stresses that. When he died, he had nine wives.
And Allaah says about him:
{Indeed
in the Messenger of Allaah you have a good example to follow},
[Soorah
al-Ahzaab, Aayah
21].
The
Prophet (sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam)
made it clear to his Nation that it was allowed for him to
have more than four wives. Therefore, following his example
on this point would mean taking four wives or less. Beyond
four wives is something that is specific for the Prophet (sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam)
only.
Shaykh
Ibn Baaz
Fataawa al-Mar.ah
|
