Ishiaku Safiyanu
(Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts & Social Science, Gombe State University, Gombe, Nigeria)

 

Abstract: One of the numerous marital challenges of the contemporary Muslims is their ignorance of religious laws as well as lackadaisical attitudes toward polygyny, which has become a highly controversial and contentious issue with profound impact among Muslims, and between Muslims and non-Muslims (1). While the orientalists misconceive polygyny as one of the practices in Islam which degrade women (2), the Muslims misuse its permission to exploit women in polygynous homes (3). The non-Muslims see it as one negative side of Islam, a complicated and outmoded system of marriage which works only in backward societies, and it needs to be abolished and replaced with monogamous system of marriage that is relevant to modern societies (4). They add that since slavery is now illegal, the practice of polygyny should be illegal. Such people restricts themselves to monogamy as the only civilized system of marriage that in actual fact protects the rights of women and a panacea to incessant marital discord, feud and other negative impacts attributed to polygyny (5). As a result, a good number of Muslims practice polygyny with less frequency than in earlier times. The Muslim intellectuals see the above campaign as a clear manifestation of ignorance to the wisdom of Islam on polygyny, and a movement against what God has made permissible (6). This paper intends to provide in-depth study on the wisdom of Islam on polygyny. It attempts to prove its relevance to modern societies, against its rejection by the non-Muslims and Muslims with secular ideology. It argues that the laws of Islam are never static and its muhkam laws are relevant to all times and places.

 

Key words: Islam, Islamic Family law, marriage, monogamy, polygamy, polygyny, polyandry