http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=8&article=1161
Muhammad's Polygamy
Muhammad was the founder of the religion we know today as Islam.
Through the centuries, much has been written that is critical of
Muhammad’s multiple marriages. It is estimated that he had as many as
nine wives simultaneously. The reported total number of wives is at
least twelve: Khadijah, Sawdah, A’ishah, Hafsah, Zaynab, Umm Salamah,
Zaynab, Juwariyah, Mariyah, Safyyah, Umm Habeeba, and Maymunah (Brooks,
1995, pp. 77-88). The usual Islamic response to this criticism is that
Muhammad did not form these marriages out of lust or a desire for sex.
Rather, the marriages were due to: (1) the desire to form alliances with
diverse clans due to the swift expansion of Islam, thereby bringing
peace with enemies by marrying their daughters; (2) the need to
emancipate conquered clans by linking them to Muslim family clans; and
(3) Muhammad’s desire to render benevolent assistance and care to widows
(especially widows of men killed in battle), or to a displaced slave or
captive (e.g., Pickthall, n.d., pp. 300-301). Muslim apologist Osama
Abdallah offered the following justification for Muhammad’s polygamy:
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him was a Messenger of God (filled with
sympathy and mercy to people) and a leader for all Muslims. He didn’t
practice polygamy for the sake of sexual pleasure at all. Most of his
wives were either widows (older than him in age, too) or divorced women
(also most of them were either older or same age). Only one of his wives
was a virgin, and he only married her because her father was his best
friend. He wanted to strengthen that relationship. And it was her father
who offered her to our Prophet peace be upon him anyway.
If our beloved Prophet peace be upon him really seeked [sic] sexual
pleasure, then he would’ve married young virgins from the Muslims. Back
then, people loved Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him so much, that they
would literally do anything for him. Certainly fathers would’ve given
him their young virgin daughters if he wanted to. Many people offered
him their young virgin bosomed daughters anyway to raise their families’
honor, but our Prophet never seeked [sic] that sexual privilege in
life.
Because Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him was a smart political
leader and a wonderful humble merciful true Messenger of Allah Almighty,
he chose to marry the weak from his people to encourage the Muslim men
to do the same; to create a balance in the Muslim society. Again,
another emergency case that existed during Islam’s weak times that
forced the Muslims (including Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him) to
practice polygamy (Abdallah, n.d.).
Another defense of Muhammad’s polygamy is seen in the following general advocacy of the institution of polygamy [NOTE: “B.A.P.U.H.” stands for “Blessings and peace be upon him”]:
The ProphetB.A.P.U.H in his lifetime
took eleven women in marriage. Majority of these marriages as described
above were contracted due to cultural, social, political and moral
necessity. In war when a large number of men are killed, the women
outnumber men and in this situation, polygamy becomes a social and
economic necessity. In case of chronically ill and infertile wife,
polygamy prevents break up of marriage as the husband can contract
another wife to have children. Polygamous instinct of men as compared to
women is also recognised in science. Restriction of number of marriages
to one for some men would most certainly encourage society to embark on
adultery and prostitution. The modern world where such restrictions
have been legally imposed is full of evidence to such evils.
It is universally recognised that laws, orders and limitations imposed
on ordinary people are not enforced on special people chosen from among
the people by themselves or by the Almighty Allah. Let us first take
the rights of the leaders chosen by people such as kings, presidents,
prime ministers, chief justices and general managers. They all enjoy
special privileges, usually defined by the constitution or parliament of
the country. When we do not object to these privileges given to
ordinary men, how can we question the privileges given to the prophets?
(“Polygamy,” n.d.).
Notice that the latter remarks justify Muhammad’s excessive polygamy on
the basis of his special status as the prophet of Allah.
Of course, no one is in a position to know what was in Muhammad’s mind
at the time these relationships were formed. Hence, no one can
prove
his motives to be either legitimate or illegitimate. If Muhammad’s
polygamy is justifiable on the grounds that he was simply extending
assistance to war widows, why not allow
all Muslim men to take as
many widowed wives as Muhammad? Even Muhammad could not accommodate all
the widows of war. If their deprived and needy status was truly the
issue, surely God would want
all widows to be cared for in a
similar fashion—thus opening the door to Muslim men besides Muhammad to
marry more than four wives. The same may be said if polygamy is
justifiable on the grounds of forming political alliances. Why not allow
all Muslim men to assist with the strengthening of alliances, as well as the emancipation of conquered clans?
Regardless, these alleged justifications do not account for all of
Muhammad’s marriages. A’ishah was only six years old when Muhammad
claimed to receive dreams instructing him to marry her. He was past
fifty at the time. What possible rationale can be offered to legitimize
this intention? Much is made of the fact that Muhammad did not
consummate the marriage at this point. Yet, it is admitted that he did
so within three years when A’ishah was nine (see al-Bukhari, Vol. 5, Bk.
58, #234; Vol. 7, Bk. 62, #64). But whether he did so or not, the
propriety of such a marriage, both in terms of the age of the child as
well as the disparity in their respective ages, is appalling, repugnant,
and, to say the least, unacceptable to the unbiased observer.
An even greater objection centers on Muhammad’s conduct with regard to
the wife of Zayd, the freed slave whom Muhammad had adopted and reared
as his own son. Seeing Zaynab, Zayd’s wife, in her home (some accounts
say partially unclad) during Zayd’s absence, sparked the circumstances
that led to Zayd divorcing his wife in order to accommodate Muhammad’s
desire to have her. The shock waves that reverberated across the
community elicited a string of curt, even stinging, revelations: (1)
Surah 33:37, which declared the marriage of Muhammad to Zaynab as a “done deal”; (2)
Surah
33:4-5,40, which clarified the previous revelation that forbade men
from marrying the wives of sons by birth (4:23). The new revelation
insisted that adopted sons were not included in the previous
prohibition; (3)
Surah 33:50-51, which granted special
dispensation to Muhammad to exceed the Quran’s restrictive limitation of
no more than four wives (4:3); and (4)
Surah 33:53, which made
three sweeping declarations. First, it chided visitors to Muhammad’s
home for delaying their departure and overstaying their welcome. The
guests who came to celebrate Muhammad’s marriage to Zaynab lingered
longer than the Prophet preferred, delaying his desire to be alone with
his newest wife. Second, it required all future conversations with
Muhammad’s wives to be conducted with a veil or curtain separating the
guest from the wife. Third, no Muslim was ever to marry one of
Muhammad’s wives. Also, henceforth, Muslims were to invoke blessings on
Muhammad (vs. 56).
Once again, for the unbiased, objective observer, this event brings the
credibility of Muhammad and his revelations into serious question. In
the first place, the Bible consistently represents God as impartial and
perfect in justice (e.g., Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11;
Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; 1 Peter 1:17). The God of the Bible
simply would not grant special dispensation to one man over others. He
would not exempt one person from a law while expecting others to keep
it. Prophets and inspired spokesmen of God in the Bible were never given
the right to sidestep laws of God—let alone laws that
all men are under obligation to obey.
Second, how can Zaynab’s divorce from Zayd be morally justifiable on
any grounds? Observe carefully the wording of the Surah that speaks to this point:
And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah
and His messenger have decided an affair (for them), that they should
(after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to
Allah and His messenger, he verily goeth astray in error manifest. And
when thou saidst unto him on whom Allah hath conferred favor and thou
hast conferred favor: Keep thy wife to thyself, and fear Allah. And thou
didst hide in thy mind that which Allah was to bring to light, and thou
didst fear mankind whereas Allah had a better right that thou shouldst
fear Him. So when Zeyd had performed the necessary formality (of
divorce) from her, We gave her unto thee in marriage, so that
(henceforth) there may be no sin for believers in respect of wives of
their adopted sons, when the latter have performed the necessary
formality (of release) from them. The commandment of Allah must be
fulfilled. There is no reproach for the Prophet in that which Allah
maketh his due (33:36-38).
One cannot help but be suspicious. This surah is worded the way one
would expect it to be worded if it were produced by a man, unguided by
God, who was seeking to justify his desire for another man’s wife.
Likewise, the unbiased observer surely is stunned, incredulous, and
dismayed at the lax attitude toward divorce. Absolutely no justification
existed for Zayd to divorce his wife—except to make her available to
Muhammad, under the guise that it was an unhappy marriage (see
Pickthall, p. 300).
What a far cry from the teaching of the New Testament. Jesus declared in no uncertain terms: “Whoever divorces his wife,
except for sexual immorality,
and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is
divorced commits adultery” (Matthew 19:9, emp. added). Jesus gave one,
and only one, reason for divorce in God’s sight. In fact, even the Old
Testament affirmed that God “hates divorce” (Malachi 2:16). The teaching
of the Bible on divorce is a higher, stricter, nobler standard than the
one advocated by the Quran. The two books, in fact,
contradict each other on this point.
Separate from the question of Muhammad’s motives for contracting
multiple marriages (whether to unite clans or aid widows), the more
pressing question pertains to whether polygamy, itself, is a legitimate
social institution—i.e., is it sanctioned by God? It certainly is true
that plural marriages were commonplace in the Old Testament. Some
prominent men of the Bible are said to have contracted multiple
marriages, including Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon. Yet, this
circumstance is simply reported (along with other violations of divine
law) without any indication that God approved of it. One does not find
the Bible stating explicitly that polygamy is God’s will. But that is
precisely what the Quran does: “And if ye fear that ye will not deal
fairly by the orphans, marry of the women, who seem good to you, two or
three or four; and if ye fear that ye cannot do justice (to so many)
then one (only) or (the captives) that your right hands possess” (
Surah 4:3).
In contrast, quite the opposite is the case in the Bible. God ordained
the institution of marriage at the very beginning of the Creation. He
enjoined strict heterosexual monogamy (e.g., Genesis 2:24). Whatever
human beings did throughout the centuries prior to Christ’s advent in
their relaxation of the divine will on this point, God legislated one
man for one woman for life. Disobedient man introduced polygamy into the
world (Genesis 4:19). God tolerated (not endorsed) this sordid state of
affairs prior to Christ, but with the institution of New Testament
Christianity, God’s original intention for the human race received
definitive reaffirmation and reinstatement: “Let each man have his own
wife, and let each woman have her own husband” (1 Corinthians 7:2).
Polygamy is sinful. Every New Testament passage that addresses the
marriage relationship presupposes
monogamy (e.g., Matthew 5:31-32; Mark 10:1-12; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6; Hebrews 13:4).
Even as the church is represented as the bride of Christ (e.g.,
Ephesians 5:23-32), Jesus would no more have multiple brides than He
would endorse men having multiple wives. In fact, God would be guilty of
being a respecter of persons if He allowed men to have a plurality of
wives, while disallowing women from having a plurality of husbands.
Likewise, who could successfully deny that polygamy is damaging to the
psyche and self-worth of women?
The
Hadith confirms that Muhammad’s polygamy created jealousy,
bickering, and bitter rivalry among his wives (see Brooks, p. 83). In
fact, the Quran itself reflects this turmoil on the occasion of Muhammad
adding to his harem the Coptic Christian slave girl, Mariyah. The
bitter jealousy of his wives caused him to separate from her initially,
only to reinstate her standing when the newly received surah commanded
him to do so (
Surah 66). The result was that Muhammad lived a
month with Mariyah—undoubtedly spiting his other wives. Another surah
then followed that reprimanded the wives and ordered them to make a
choice as to whether they desired to be married to Muhammad (
Surah
33). Was this special treatment extended to Mariyah, which punished the
other wives by depriving them of their usual turn with Muhammad—a
violation of the equal treatment clause of the Quran (Shorrosh, 1988, p.
65; cf. Lings, 1983, pp. 276-279)? Additionally, the consensus of the
Islamic community has ever been that A’ishah was Muhammad’s favorite
wife and that she received preferential treatment—a circumstance in
direct violation of the Quran.
CONCLUSION
The religion of Islam and the Quran have a great many features that the
Christian mind (i.e., one guided by the New Testament) finds
objectionable. Polygamy is simply one among many such “difficulties.”
The Bible and the Quran are in significant conflict on this subject.
REFERENCES
Abdallah, Osama (no date), “When is Polygamy Allowed in Islam?” http://www.answering-christianity.com/polygamy.htm.
al-Bukhari, Sahih (no date),
The Hadith, http://www.sahih-bukhari.com/.
Brooks, Geraldine (1995),
Nine Parts of Desire (New York, NY: Anchor Books).
Lings, Martin (1983),
Muhammad (Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions International).
Pickthall, Mohammed M. (no date),
The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (New York: Mentor).
“Polygamy” (no date), http://www.answering-christianity.com/islam_polygamy.htm.
Shorrosh, Anis A. (1988),
Islam Revealed: A Christian Arab’s View of Islam (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson).
Jesus
was undoubtedly the Master Logician. He demonstrated unsurpassed
logical prowess on every occasion. One such incident occurred when He
was preaching to a group that had gathered in a house. So many people
were crammed into the house that four men were unable to bring a
paralytic into contact with Him, so they carried him onto the roof,
punched a hole through the ceiling, and lowered him down through the
hole into the presence of Jesus. The text then reads: