Page 136 - Seekers Guide Book

Islam and the Quran

53 When the Prophet Muhammad died he
left behind nine widows. Who then

ordered Muslims to marry just four

wives?

ne of the commandments given in the Quran as a
Omatter of social organization concerns polygamy, that
is, permission for a man to marry up to four women:

If you fear that you cannot treat orphans
with fairness, then you may marry such
women (widowed) as seem good to you:
two, three or four of them. But if you fear
that you cannot do justice, marry one only.
(Quran 4:3)

The background and wording of this verse appear to
express a commandment that should be only temporary
in effect. That is to say, it applied only to a particular state
of emergency when, for example, due to a loss of men in
battle, the number of women exceeded the number of
available men.

All the wives of the Prophet Muhammad, except Hazrat
Ayesha, were divorcees or widows. The Arab custom
at that time was such that marrying in a certain tribe
ensured the tribe’s allegiance to the son-in-law. In case of
the Prophet therefore, these marriages were a form of war
management which eventually culminated in a bloodless
revolution. It was a measure taken in order to manage
the potential tribal conflicts that could have emerged in
the hostile environment of Arabia of that time.

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