- Joined
- Aug 8, 2014
- Messages
- 741
- Reaction score
- 66
I've been reading lots of comments about this one, and more often than not, a good number of people end up having a great hatred towards polygamy practice which been allowed in Islam and certain other cultures around the world. Eventually, they dislike the religion as well.
So... for starters, I would like to explain why, for a religion where God is strongly associated with, give consent to the act of polygamy in the first place. This is what I've learnt over two decades (and still counting, plus learning), and I can possibly lay out particular quotes from Quran to support me, but for now, I try my best to keep this as simple as I can to save you from reading a wall of text. It's better for you to know my statements in paragraphs below is based on the view of Islamic teachings, but do point out any mistake or false fact that contradict such belief I may accidentally create.
When Quran was delivered to the last Prophet after the existence of Gospel (received by Jesus - the original Testament-), it was meant as an upgrade version of the other three Holy Books (Torah [received by Moses], Zabur [received by David], including Gospel [or Muslims called it as Injil]). The older three holy books kept mentioning the existence of God (with the consistent name of Allah), and foreshadowing the last Holy Book that was the Quran. Since the trio were made according to the situations happened around their times respectively, the Quran was revealed before Doomsday as the final Islamic teachings, which should cover all aspects, more so removing all doubts from the previous Books, that Muslims need to live on till the Judgement Day.
In this last Holy Book of Islam, it's mentioned that a person cannot simply touch another non blood-related person of opposite gender. For instances, it's a sin if a man touches a woman skin-to-skin, so does woman which opts to expose her skin other than her face and palms. The weigh of the sin is like grasping an insanely hot smolder from Hell and in some cases even worse than that, so supposedly Muslims of both genders are required to keep their gazes low most of the times except if necessary to be looked upon, and carefully converse with each other without triggering an unnecessary attraction (this goes lots of ways, like it has something to do with feeling of lust, but I'll leave it for now).
Since it's in human nature to love and to be loved, an Islamic marriage is introduced to bridge the relationship, where both non blood-related man and woman could finally touch, caress, and express their love (romance terms) without the risk of it being a sin anymore (instead, they would get numerous rewards in afterlife even by just gazing at your wife/husband for a second), a legal binding in the eyes of religion because marriage in this concept comes with a set of responsibilities that guarantees the right of both parties (thru world laws and religious views). In other words, it's not solely for fun either.
How polygamy is allowed then?
It just so happens that since long time ago as we all know, some women have always been objectified, and no less of them are forced to have children outside marriage or without consent in poor condition. There's also several wars too, causing a number of them (whom have married) turns out to be a single mother, till today. So a man, whomever capable and have a sound mind, is allowed to marry more than one woman (nonetheless, limit to four women only) with the intention to take in and care the said women plus children till the end of his life, by providing them a better shelter and life of a happy family. The responsibility that comes along though, is of course multiple than that of a single partner in marriage would. Any careless mistake will cause his sin to get multiple too, aside the obvious financial problem.
It gets tougher on the husband's part; he has to make sure his wives receive the same amount of affection, avoiding them from being jealous of each other, and tend to their needs without playing favourite.
Actually, in Islam, polygamy is indeed permitted by God, yet not to be encouraged either. In terms of religious judgement, it's not considered a sin to marry more than one (still, not more than four). If it's a must under certain circumstances, then he's allowed to. If he doesn't have the ability to take care of more than one family with fairness, then he's forbid to do so. People during old times marry single mothers to help them managing their fatherless children; orphans and so on. Marriage, in Islam, is the legal bind between man and woman (that's non blood-related) which wouldn't be bestowed with sin related to opposite genders relationship. That's why polygamy is introduced to Muslim men.
Surely not every Muslim feels he can handle it, even many girls nowadays confess that they couldn't bear sharing their husband, so there are some that stand to monogamy only. Whichever is fine. Besides, it's hard to be fair and treat multiple persons well enough.
So... for starters, I would like to explain why, for a religion where God is strongly associated with, give consent to the act of polygamy in the first place. This is what I've learnt over two decades (and still counting, plus learning), and I can possibly lay out particular quotes from Quran to support me, but for now, I try my best to keep this as simple as I can to save you from reading a wall of text. It's better for you to know my statements in paragraphs below is based on the view of Islamic teachings, but do point out any mistake or false fact that contradict such belief I may accidentally create.
When Quran was delivered to the last Prophet after the existence of Gospel (received by Jesus - the original Testament-), it was meant as an upgrade version of the other three Holy Books (Torah [received by Moses], Zabur [received by David], including Gospel [or Muslims called it as Injil]). The older three holy books kept mentioning the existence of God (with the consistent name of Allah), and foreshadowing the last Holy Book that was the Quran. Since the trio were made according to the situations happened around their times respectively, the Quran was revealed before Doomsday as the final Islamic teachings, which should cover all aspects, more so removing all doubts from the previous Books, that Muslims need to live on till the Judgement Day.
In this last Holy Book of Islam, it's mentioned that a person cannot simply touch another non blood-related person of opposite gender. For instances, it's a sin if a man touches a woman skin-to-skin, so does woman which opts to expose her skin other than her face and palms. The weigh of the sin is like grasping an insanely hot smolder from Hell and in some cases even worse than that, so supposedly Muslims of both genders are required to keep their gazes low most of the times except if necessary to be looked upon, and carefully converse with each other without triggering an unnecessary attraction (this goes lots of ways, like it has something to do with feeling of lust, but I'll leave it for now).
Since it's in human nature to love and to be loved, an Islamic marriage is introduced to bridge the relationship, where both non blood-related man and woman could finally touch, caress, and express their love (romance terms) without the risk of it being a sin anymore (instead, they would get numerous rewards in afterlife even by just gazing at your wife/husband for a second), a legal binding in the eyes of religion because marriage in this concept comes with a set of responsibilities that guarantees the right of both parties (thru world laws and religious views). In other words, it's not solely for fun either.
How polygamy is allowed then?
It just so happens that since long time ago as we all know, some women have always been objectified, and no less of them are forced to have children outside marriage or without consent in poor condition. There's also several wars too, causing a number of them (whom have married) turns out to be a single mother, till today. So a man, whomever capable and have a sound mind, is allowed to marry more than one woman (nonetheless, limit to four women only) with the intention to take in and care the said women plus children till the end of his life, by providing them a better shelter and life of a happy family. The responsibility that comes along though, is of course multiple than that of a single partner in marriage would. Any careless mistake will cause his sin to get multiple too, aside the obvious financial problem.
It gets tougher on the husband's part; he has to make sure his wives receive the same amount of affection, avoiding them from being jealous of each other, and tend to their needs without playing favourite.
Actually, in Islam, polygamy is indeed permitted by God, yet not to be encouraged either. In terms of religious judgement, it's not considered a sin to marry more than one (still, not more than four). If it's a must under certain circumstances, then he's allowed to. If he doesn't have the ability to take care of more than one family with fairness, then he's forbid to do so. People during old times marry single mothers to help them managing their fatherless children; orphans and so on. Marriage, in Islam, is the legal bind between man and woman (that's non blood-related) which wouldn't be bestowed with sin related to opposite genders relationship. That's why polygamy is introduced to Muslim men.
Surely not every Muslim feels he can handle it, even many girls nowadays confess that they couldn't bear sharing their husband, so there are some that stand to monogamy only. Whichever is fine. Besides, it's hard to be fair and treat multiple persons well enough.