* Polygamy allowed in Islam?-part 2

Qur’an permits limited polygamy

As I mentioned earlier, Qur’an is the only religious book on the face of the earththat says ‘marry only one’. The context of this phrase is the following verse fromSurah Nisa of the Glorious Qur’an:

“Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear thatye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one.”

[Al-Qur’an 4:3]

Before the Qur’an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygyny and many men had scores of wives, some even hundreds. Islam put an upper limitof 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 chapter i.e. Surah Nisa verse 129 says:

“Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women....”

[Al-Qur’an 4:129]

Therefore polygyny is not a rule but an exception. Many people are under themisconception that it is compulsory for a Muslim man to have more than one wife.

Broadly, Islam has five categories of Do’s and Don’ts:

(i) ‘Fard’ i.e. compulsory or obligatory
(ii) ‘Mustahab’ i.e. recommended or encouraged
(iii) ‘Mubah’ i.e. permissible or allowed
(iv) ‘Makruh’ i.e. not recommended or discouraged
(v) ‘Haraam’ i.e. prohibited or forbidden

Polygyny falls in the middle category of things that are permissible. It cannot besaid that a Muslim who has two, three or four wives is a better Muslim ascompared to a Muslim who has only one wife.