The Rights of Husband and Wife

biased in favor of men. But when placed in the context of social organization, it is actually in favor of women. Polygamy is both a proper and a natural solution to women’s problems. The permission to practice polygamy in Islam was not given in order to enable men to satisfy their sexual urges. It was designed as a practical strategy to solve a particular problem. Marrying more than one woman is possible only when there are more women than men. Failing this, it is out of the question. Is it conceivable that Islam, just to satisfy man’s desires, would give us a commandment which is neither possible nor practical? The Encyclopaedia Britannica (1984) aptly concludes that one reason for adopting polygamy is the surplus of women. Among most peoples who permit or prefer it, the large majority of men live in a state of monogamy because of the limited number of women.11 To have more than one wife is not an ideal in Islam. It is, in essence, a practical solution to a social problem. CONCLUSION In terms of the birth rate, men and women are almost equal in number. But, subsequently, for a variety of reasons, the number of men in society decreases, leaving an excess of women. Now the question arises as to what should be the solution to this problem. In view of the inevitability of this imbalance, how is a healthy relationship between the sexes to be established? By following the principle of monogamy, hundreds of thousands of women fail to find husbands for themselves and are thus denied an honorable place in society. Monogamy as an absolute principle may seem pleasing to some, but events show that this is not fully practicable in the world of today. The choice for us, therefore, is not between monogamy and polygamy, but rather between the lawful polygamy of Islam and the illicit polygamy of non-Islamic peoples. The latter system leaves “surplus” women to lead lives of sexual anarchy and social destruction. The former, on the other hand, permits them to opt on their own free will for marriage with anyone who can give fair treatment to more than one wife. Notes 1. Qur’an, 4:3. 2. Encyclopaedia Britannica (1984), vol. 7, p. 37. 3. Ibid, vol. 14, p. 1102. 4. Ibid, vol. 16, p. 137. 5. Figures taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica (1984). 6. AI-Bukhari, Sahih, Bab Ia Yunkihu al-Ab wa Ghairuhu al-Bikra wath-Thayyiba illa bi Ridaha (Fath al-Bari, 9/157). 7. Abu Dawud, Sunan, Kitab an-Nikah, 2/232. 8. Ad-Darimi, Sunan, Kitab an-Nikah, 2/170.