Frequently asked questions

Q. Why is a man allowed to have more than one wife in Islam?   

This question depends upon  the following verse from Surah Al-Nisa of the Holy Qura'n:

"....Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one." (Surah Al-Nisa  4: Ayah 3)

      Islam put an upper limit of four wives. Islam gives a man permission to marry two, three or four women, only on the condition that he deals justly with them.   In the same Surah Al-Nisa , the Ayah  129  :

"Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women...." (Surah Al-Nisa  ,4: Ayah 129)  

        Therefore multiple wives is not a rule but only an exception. Many people are under the misconception that it is compulsory for a Muslim man to have more than one wife.  It cannot be said that a Muslim who has two, three or four wives is a better Muslim as compared to a Muslim who has only one wife.

Q. Why a woman is not allowed to have more than one husband in Islam ?

      Some women ask , even some Muslims , why  do not we have the same right as men to have more than one spouse ? Men and women are equal in Islam, but not identical in their roles and responsibilities .   Men and women are different, physiologically and psychologically. To answer this question , about allowing man , but not woman , to marry four , on scientific bases , we say that it is now well known that only one sperm is required to fertilize an ovum , that can only come from a single man . Thus , if a woman marrying more than one husband and have sex with them , no one , even her , could know the man who gave  the sperm that fertilizes her ovum .

    The Holy Qura'n  described in several verses that only Allah (Lord) knows the sex of baby  inside pregnant uterus , as the following verse:

  "Verily the knowledge of the Hour(day of Judgment  ) is with Allah (alone). It is He who sends down Rain, and He who knows what is in the wombs…." (Surah Lokman, 31 : Ayah 34)  ,

also  in another verse  , Allah , the Almighty said :

 "Allah doth know what every female (womb) doth bear, by how much the wombs fall short (of their time or number) or do exceed. Every single thing is before His sight, in (due) proportion." (Surah Al-Ra'ad, 13 :  Ayah 8)   ,

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Q-Do these  verses are conflicting with modern sciences , as it becomes easy now to  determine the sex of the child in the womb by ultrasonography?

      The holy Qura'n is clear in its description and accurately describes that Allah Knows every thing about the content of the uterus including sex of the baby . However,  many translations and commentaries of these verses of the  Qura'n said that only Allah knows the sex of the child in the mother’s womb. Allah , the Almighty, knows every thing , not only the sex , thus it is a mistake to consider this verse is only about sex of baby. The accepted explanation of this verse is that only Allah  , the Almighty , knows how the child in the mother’s womb will be . How will his nature be? Will he be a blessing or a curse to his parents? Will he be a boon or a bane to the society? Will he be good or evil? Will he go to heaven or hell?  Thus , no one , even those who can see sex or features of baby inside the uterus can tell us  accurately  the knowledge of these things about the child in the mother’s womb.

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