The Islamic Way

POLYGAMY AND ISLAM To have more than one wife is not an ideal in Islam. It is, in essence, a practical solution to a social problem. In Conclusion In normal situations, the birth rates of men and women are almost equal in number. Subsequently, the number of men in society decreases for various reasons, leaving an excess of women. Under such circumstances, by following the principle of monogamy, hundreds of thousands of women fail to find husbands for themselves and are thus denied an honourable place in society. Monogamy as an absolute principle may seem pleasing to some, but events show this is not entirely practicable 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. On the other hand, the former permits them to opt for their own free will in marriage to anyone who can give fair treatment to more than one wife.