Polygamy and "Right hand Possess" in the Koran- new outlook
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The Ahl Quran website seemed to have opened. I have heard from many that this happened in several countries so it lookes like there was something wrong with the website and its was probably never banned.
Annyways there is a very important discussion there by someone called Hawash Abdul Rahman where he stirred up a whole new debate regarding the term right hand possesses and the "polygamy" verse in the Koran. However its in Arabic and Arabic is not my strong language as i have lived in non Arabic countries most of my childhood. The Arabic there is too intense. But I was hoping someone here with good Arabic knowledge can check the articles out and see whats said and can then tell summarize them to us. I am not able to understand the topic properly and I get lost in the Arabic. He seemed to have stirred up some new debate regarding this very important subject.
http//www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/show_article.php?main_id=4921 Hawash's article
http//www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/show_article.php?main_id=5093 Response to his article
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peace,
My current understanding
Misconception Polygamy - Muslim men can have as many wives as they wish
Background Some think that Muslim men can have multiple wives if they desire to and that Islam and The Quran promotes polygamy
The Quran is very clear on this subject, that monogamy is the basis for normal relationships, while polygamy is only allowed in cases involving marrying the mothers of orphans so that the orphans are taken care of. A maximum of four wives are allowed in such cases. For example, in the aftermath of war, it is likely that many men would have lost their lives, resulting in many widows with fatherless children, thus The Quran allows an exception in these cases so that the needs of the wider community can be metGive the orphans* their money; do not replace the good with the bad, and do not consume their money to your money, for truly it is a great sin!
And if you fear that you cannot be just to the orphans, then you may marry those who are agreeable to you of the women two, and three, and four. But if you fear you will not be fair, then only one**, or to whom you are committed to by oath. This is best that you do not face financial hardship.
*the Arabic word for "orphans" is "yatama" and specifically means children who are fatherless.
** note the emphasis on one wife, i.e. monogamy.Again, the subject of polygamy is addressed in the context of orphans
They ask you for divine instruction concerning women. Say, "God instructs you regarding them, as has been recited for you in the book about the mother of orphans who you want to marry without giving them what has been ordained/written for them, as well as the powerless children, and your duty to treat orphans with equity. Whatever good you do, God has full knowledge of it.
The above verse has been commonly mistranslated to justify marrying orphan girls rather than marrying their widow mothers. The Arabic plural pronoun in this verse is the female form, "allatee" (not the male form "allazyna", and it can only refer to the women just referenced, not to the orphans. This is because in Arabic the word "yatama" (orphans) is grammatically male in gender. The beginning of the verse also tells us the subject of the verse, it is about the women. That is why it is important to remember all translations are imperfect, and to seek knowledge and verify information for oneself .
The Quran was revealed to a society where polygamy was commonplace and men could have many wives (e.g. more than four for example). By setting an upper limit, citing a moral restriction on polygamy and limiting the situations in which it is allowed would result in reducing polygamy significantly.
With regard to "what your right hands possess", women have these too, see 3355, 2431. As far as I'm aware, it just means those committed to you by oath in some way (e.g. servants, dependents, adopted children etc). I have not studied it throughly however.
http//www.free-minds.org/malakat
424-25 rules out sex out with marriage, e.g. "concubinage", "secret lovers" etc.
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peace,
My current understanding
With regard to "what your right hands possess", women have these too, see 3355, 2431. As far as I'm aware, it just means those committed to you by oath in some way (e.g. servants, dependents, adopted children etc). I have not studied it throughly however.
http//www.free-minds.org/malakat
424-25 rules out sex out with marriage, e.g. "concubinage", "secret lovers" etc.
But where did the limit of 4 come from? In the article by Hawash, in the comment section, the last comment said something interesting saying that there is no reason to believe that the limit is 4. In fact the Koran never said anything about polygamy that was not already there. It just emphasized orphanage. This make sense if we assume Muhmamad had more than 4 wives and so did many prophets in the previous scriptures.
