Question:
Assalamualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu Mufti Saheb,
I have been many time ask this question by my co-workers who are non Muslim. Why Muslim men are allowed to have four wives but women are not allowed to have more than one husband.
My first reply always is you can only understand this if you are believer as this is the part of believes. Second reply use to be if woman has four husbands how one cans will find who is father of Child born, but now this reply doesn’t work as they say by DNA testing.
I know there are social reasons too but for non believers it hard to understand. Can you provide any more logical answer which can put to a Non believer.
Wassalaam
Answer:
No religion which was revealed from the heavens permitted the wife to have more than one husband at the same time. This act was never found in the previous nations and most probably, for a woman to be the wife of more than one husbands at the same time is not legal anywhere in the world. Such an act is beyond the nature of a woman and also, it opposes her nature. On a monthly basis, the menstrual cycle of a woman repeats itself, wherein it is medically not correct to have intercourse during this period. She also prevents having intercourse during this period, because of physical weakness. If there were more than one husbands and she prevents them from intercourse, or she one the opportunity, preventing the others, then eventually the other husbands will go to outside women in order to fulfil their carnal desires. Doing this will gradually efface the marriage system. No difference will be there between humans and animals. Family relationships will also come to an end, since one will not be able to differentiate between the mother, father, son or daughter. Can an individual of sound intellect withstand such animalistic behaviour? Would someone like to have intercourse with his own mother or daughter? DNA tests can arrive to a conclusion as to the biological father of the child, but DNA tests are not always 100% accurate. The knowledge of DNA became known to man in the year 1953. In the primitive days, people arrived at these conclusions through comparing resemblances and skin textures; but since it is despised and against the nature of a woman that she possesses more than one husbands at the same time, no nation or denomination ever permitted such a despicable act. You should ask those who posed this question to you for their opinion regarding such an act. Do they desire that their wife becomes the wife of other men or for other husbands to share his wife with him, that when he calls her for intercourse, she refuses saying that she is going to her other husband and I can’t see to your needs now. If they still fancy the idea that their wife should have more than one husband, after what you have told them, then to continue arguing with them will be futile. If they agree with what you have told them, then ask them why would they dislike their wife to have more than one husbands at the same time? This is the answer to your question.
And Allah Ta’ala knows best
Mufti Muhammad Ashraf
Darul Iftaa
Jameah Mahmoodiyah
Springs
16 June 2005
09 Jumaadul Oola 1426