Muhammad, his wives, and polygamy in the Quran
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As verified by the Quran and recorded by tradition, Muhammad had multiple wives. If tradition is correct, then he certainly had more than 4 wives. Now, as we all know, Quran only allows one wife at a time, or 4 for sunnis. Muhammad was to uphold the Quran, so why then did he have multiple wives? Were did he ever get permission to do this? I searched the Quran and found no verse which gave him the permission to have more than one wife at a time. He was given special privileges for who he could marry, but certainly not that he could marry more than one at a time. So, doesn't this show that Muhammad did infact, as the Sunnis claim, have more freedom and authority than that recorded in the Quran?
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Salam,
Now, as we all know, Quran only allows one wife at a time
Forbidden for you are your mothers, and your daughters, and your sisters, and your fathers' sisters, and your mothers' sisters, and the daughters of your brother, and the daughters of your sister, and your foster mothers who suckled you, and your sisters from suckling, and the mothers of your wives, and your step-daughters residing in your homes from your wives which you have already consummated the marriage with; if you have not consummated the marriage then there is no sin upon you; and the wives of your sons that are from your seed, and that you would make succession between two sisters except what has already been done. God is Forgiving, Merciful
If God allow only one wife, then why is He telling us that we cannot marry mothers of our wives, daughters of our wives and we cannot marry two sisters at the same time.
Regards
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Ah good point, but if you look at the verse 20 preceding it, it talks about giving up one wife for another. Meaning its talking about divorce, after which it talks about who you can and cannot marry. So, from this it seems like God is saying 'if your going to give up one wife for another, these are the women you cannot marry.'
Part of that verse is "and your step-daughters residing in your homes from your wives which you have already consummated the marriage with," meaning that if you haven't had intercourse with this wife, then you can marry the step-daughter. So this is talking about the wife that you divorced from or that died or left before the marriage was consumated. So in the same sense, if you marry a woman and then leave her, you cannot marry her mother. That is what I make of this verse.
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Salaams All,
Maybe the practice of marrying sisters was common then, for wealth or convenience as one wife could be older and ill while her younger sister would be already living with them helping in raising her nieces and nephews. It seems that there was no restriction against such practice, until the Quran came and forbade it. However, if the woman is divorced or dead, the Ayah does not forbid the man to marry the sister of his ex. The forbidding is from having together both sisters as wives at the same time. It is not forbidding for good as the case of the mother and daughter.
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I think what's more important to establish is whether the Messenger did have more than four wives at any one time. All history books about the Messenger seem to say that.
Let's see if I can remember all the wives' names...
Khadijah. (No controversy about her, during her lifetime the Messenger is only married to her).
Aisyah binti Abu Bakar
Hafsah binti Umar
Zaynab binti Jahsy
Sa'udah
Ummu Habibah
Sofia
Maria -
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Salaams Tony,
Why would any sane individual do something that Allah warns against because of lack in fairness? Doesn?t Allah knows best? If one truly believes in Allah and trust His word then one would not do something that would definitely lead him to punishment. Who would put the rope around his own neck with his full consent unless there is something seriously wrong with him?
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O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated (from Makka) with thee; and any believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her;- this only for thee, and not for the Believers (at large); We know what We have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hands possess;- in order that there should be no difficulty for thee. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.