aabiyaba@athena.mit.edu (08/08/90)
Muhammad Rashid Rida (died 1935) was a pupil of the Egyptian scholar Muhammad Abduh (died 1905) who was a notable protege of the modern muslim Persian thinker Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani (died 1897). Here Muhammad Rashid Rida writes from al-Azhar University. Ahmed Biyabani Muhammad Rashid Rida on Muhammad Abduh on Polygamy ================================================== Muhammad Abduh has said: Whoever considers the two [Quranic verses relating to polygamy] correctly acknowledges that permission for polygamy in Islam applies (only) with the most severe restriction. Polygamy is like one of those necessities which is permitted to the one to whom it is allowed (only) with the stipulation that he act fairly with trustworthiness and that he be immune from injustice (al-jaur). In view of this restriction, when one now considers what corruption results from polygamy in modern times, then one will know for certain that a people (umma) cannot be trained so that their remedy lies in polygamy, since, in a family in which a single man has two wives, no beneficial situation and no order prevail. Rather, the man and his wives each mutually assist in the ruin of the family, as if each of them were the enemy of the other; and also the children then become enemies to one another. The corruption of polygamy carries over from the individual to the family and from the family to the (entire) people. Muhammad Abduh has said: Polygamy had advantages in the early period of Islam, among the most important at that time being that it brought about the bond of blood relationship and of relationship by marriage, so that the feeling of tribal solidarity was strengthened. Also, at that time it did not lead to the same harm (darar) that it does today, since at that time the religion was firmly rooted in the souls of women and men ... Today, on the other hand, the harm (darar) of every additional wife (darra) carries over to her child, its father, and its other relatives. The wife stirs up enmity and hatred among them; she incites her husband to enmity against his brothers and sisters, and she incites her husband to suppress the rights of the children which he has from other wives. The husband, on the other hand, follows in the folly of the wife whom he loves the most, and thus ruin creeps into the entire family. If one wished to enmuerate specifically the disadvantages and mishaps that result from polygamy, then one would present something that would cause the blood of the believers to curdle. This includes theft and adultery, lies and deceit, cowardice and deception, indeed even murder, so that the child kills the father, the father kills the child, the wife kills the husband, and the husband kills the wife. All this is tangible and is demonstrated from the (records of the) courts of justice. It may suffice here to refer to the (poor) education of the (modern) woman, who knows neither the worth (qima) of the husband nor that of the child and finds herself in ignorance concerning herself and her religion, knowing of religion only legends and errors which she has snatched up from others like herself and which are not found either in the scriptures or in (the sayings of) the prophets [pbut] who have been sent. If women had the benefit of a proper religious education, so that religion had the highest power over their hearts and would prevail over jealousy, then no harm would grow out of polygamy for the people of today ... . However, since the matter now stands as we see and hear it, there is no possibility of educating the people so long as polygamy is widespread among them. Thus, it is the duty of scholars to investigate this problem, (that is) especially the Hanafite scholars, in whose hand the matter lies (in the Ottoman empire and its spheres of influence), and whose opinion is determinative (here). They do not deny that religion was sent down for the use and benefit of mankind and that it belongs to the principles of religion to prevent harm and injury. Now if at a (certain) time (that is, the present), corruption results from something that was not connected with it earlier, it is without doubt necessary to alter the laws and adapt them to the actual situation, that is, according to the principle that one must prevent the deterioration beforehand in order then to bring about the well-being (of the community). Muhammad Abduh has said: Hence, it is recognized that polygamy is strictly forbidden when the fear exists that one cannot act fairly. ... It has been said before that permission for polygamy is restricted since a stipulation is imposed which is so difficult to realize that it represents the same as a prohibition against polygamy. Further, it has been said that to him who fears that he is unable to act equitably it is forbidden to marry more than one wife. This is not, as has been done by some students (of al-Azhar University), to be understood in the sense that a marriage settlement is null and void when it has been completed under such circumstances, since the prohibition (given here) is not so firm that it could require the negation of the marriage settlement. The husband may indeed fear that he will act unjustly, but yet not do so. And he may act unjustly, but then repent and act equitably and thus lead a legitimate life ... . I (Muhammad Rashid Rida) say: Add to this that polygamy is at variance with the natural fundamental rule (asl) in the nature of marriage, since the fundamental rule is that the man is to have a single wife and that he is her mate as she is his. Polygamy is, however, a necessity that befalls human society (under sertain circumstances, that is) especially [in communities that may be engaged in war]. Polygamy is permitted to them only in the case of necessity, and then only wit the stipulation that neither injustice nor oppression will occur thereby. This problem requires further discussion. So the wisdom of the plurality and the number (of wives) is discussed, and there must be discussion as to the extent to which the administrators of the law are in a position to impede the perversion of polygamy through restraint when the harm done through polygamy becomes widespread, as is seen to be the case in Eqypt.