that even where a State does make this relaxation, it is still not
obligatory on men to take more than one wife. They may marry only
if they can do justice. It is obvious that if a man marries in such an
abnormal situation, it will be as a service to the nation, both on his
part and the part of his first wife. She will consider it her duty to
provide shelter to one of her unfortunate sisters who has been
driven to such a pitiable condition through no fault of her own. It
may be argued that we will rarely find a woman who will agree to a
rival being brought into her home. The argument may seem valid in
the present pattern of life wherein personal interests come first. But
it looses its ground in the revolution of ideas brought about by the
Qur'an in which:
The believers prefer others over themselves though they might have to
undergo hardships (59:9).
History tells us that in the Qur'anic society in Madina at the time of
the Rasool, such a newcomers to the house of a Muslim, in the
circumstances stated above, was greeted with blessings by those
already in it. The newcomers also did not enter the house as rivals:
they were rather laden with a sense of gratitude. This was the result
of the change which Eiman brought about in their heart.
The principle embodied in the verse cited above was exemplified
in the life of the Rasool himself. When he was twenty-five, he
married Khadija, a widow who was much older than him. For twenty
five years she was his only wife. He remarried only after her death.
The conditions in which he took to himself more than one wife
were such as are specified in the verse to which we have referred.
The small Muslim community settled in Madina was constantly at
war with enemies on all sides. War takes a heavy toll on the youth of
a country. There was a sharp decrease in the number of men.
Besides this, there was an influx of refugees, mostly women, from
Mecca. The large number of widows and unmarried girls created a
problem for the Muslims. It was a situation fraught with danger and
a drastic remedy had to be applied. It was in such an emergency that
polygamy was permitted to give protection to the unprotected
women-folk by giving them safety and social status. Those for
whom the Rasool himself provided a home in this way are briefly
described below:
Saudah and her husband had fled from the persecution of the
Islam: A Challenge to Religion 299