Polygamy : Answering Dr Zakir Naik’s book ‘Answers to non Muslims common questions about Islam’

Polygamy : Answering Dr Zakir Naik’s book ‘Answers to non Muslims common questions about Islam’

Dr Zakir Naik of the Islamic Research Foundation, Mumbai India has published a small book with the title mentioned above.

Dr Zakir Naik has answered what he terms the 20 most common questions the non Muslims have about Islam.

As per the main thesis of this website Biblical Islam (http://biblical-islam.blogspot.com) much if not ALL of the Sunni and Shiah beliefs are ideas that have been borrowed from the Bible and the Jewish teachings. These beliefs are not found in the Quran.

It is therefore logically and historically incorrect to say that these beliefs are part of Islam. Dr Zakir Naik (who is a Sunni) and his book expound many such non Quranic beliefs.

By looking at these non Quranic beliefs in the light of the Quranic teachings, we will see that these teachings are also un Quranic.

Lets start with Chapter 2 of dr Zakir Naik’s book titled ‘Polygamy’.

To start off, Dr Zakir Naik is terribly embarrassed about polygamy. This is a good reaction because indeed polygamy is an embarrassing episode in human interaction. That is why the Quran does not allow polygamy.

Unfortunately the Jews, Christians, Hindus and others believe in polygamy. The Sunnis and Shiahs have also been influenced by the Jewish and Christian teachings to practice polygamy. The Quran disallows polygamy.

On page 9 of his book, Dr Zakir Naik immediately starts apoligising for his belief in polygamy by declaring:

“The Quran is the only religious scripture in the world that says, “Marry only one”.

If that is the case Dr Zakir, why do you still believe in polygamy?

Then Dr Zakir says other religions like the Talmudic Jews, the Hindus and the Bible based faith allow polygamy. But it is only his faith (Sunnism) which restricts polygamy to just FOUR wives !!

On page 10, Dr Zakir says ‘Hindus are more polygamous than Muslims.’

What a fantastically illogical argument. Using the same logic, if the Jews, Christians and Hindus poke their left eye, the Sunnis and the Shiahs must then poke their right eye.

Then Dr Zakir is even more embarrassed about polygamy. On pg 10, he says “Quran permits limited polygamy”. He continues “As I mentioned earlier, Quran is the only book on the face of the earth that says ‘marry only one’”

This is beating around the bush. Anything more than one wife is already polygamy. It makes no difference whether two, three, 40 or 50 wives – it is still polygamy. But the Quran disallows polygamy. We will see shortly.

Then Dr Zakir Naik makes the same mistake that all the religious priests OF ALL RELIGIONS must do. They quote ONLY fractions or portions of their respective Scriptures to back up their confused ideas.

In this case Dr Zakir Naik quotes only a portion of one verse in the Quran to back up his point. He quotes:

“Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if you fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one.” (Al Quran 4:3)

Then Dr Zakir Naik’s embarrasmnet about polygamy continues. He says ‘polygamy is not a rule but an exception’ (pg 11).

He then goes on to make his own religious laws. Dr Zakir Naik says ‘polygamy is merely a ‘Mubah’ or a permissible act.

Having expressed his thorough embarrassment with polygamy Dr Zakir then goes on to sing the praises of polygamy with some really ridiculous arguments. Here they are:

1. the average lifespan of females is more than that of males.

So what does this have to do with the price of chappatis in Mumbai? Women have longer lifespans in modern societies. In traditional non modern village societies like India and Africa, women usually live shorter lives. Women also become barren at about 50 years of age. (And what does that have to do with the price of chappatis too?)

2. India has more male population than female due to female feticide and infanticide

Same question about chappatis applies here too. (Meaning this is illogical)

3. World female population is more than male population

Dr Zakir Naik does not present any scientific proof for this false claim. Even if true, the chappati question applies again. Illogical.

4. Restricting each and every man to have only one wife is not practical

Dr Zakir Naik says there are not enough men to marry all the women. Plus he says “about 20 million men are gays in the US”. What about the lesbians Dr Naik? Using your same logic, there must be about 20 million lesbians too in the US.

5. Marrying a married man preferable to becoming ‘public property’

He says it is better for a woman to bag a married man than to become someone’s illegal mistress or prostitute. What terrible confusion. Dr Zakir must explain how that is any different from prostitution or becoming a man's mistress? You may be "legally" married to more than one woman through a piece of paper at the Marriage Registry in Saudi Arabia but in practise how does that differ from a man cohabiting with more than one woman at a time?

Dr Zakir Naik, this is just another meaning for ‘whore’. You are asking your women to become whores by marrying men who are already married. It is also satanic because you are encouraging the break down and destruction of the Muslim home.

Now lets talk some sense. The Quran says the following:

61:2 O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?

61:3 Most abominable in the sight of GOD is that you say what you do not do.

So Dr Zakir Naik, if polygamy is so great, why don’t you go and marry a second, third or fourth wife yourself? Will you do it? If you will not, why tell others to do it? Don’t be a hypocrite.

Will you ask your daughter to become the second, third or fourth wife of some married man? You will not. You will look for a young bachelor to marry your daughter. You will not even allow your daughter to marry a divorced man. So why tell other women to become second, third or fourth wives?

Finally you know very well that the main reason the Arab Muslim and African Muslim society is so fractured and dysfunctional is because their social structure and family structure has been destroyed by polygamy. The sons of different mothers fight over the father’s property. They form clans and castes.

The daughters’ of different mothers fight for their father’s attention. When they do not get it, they become jealous of their half sisters. This results in family fights and feuds. Have you heard of a country called Saudi Arabia? Go there and find out for yourself.

Now lets look at the verse from the Quran which you quoted partially.

To get a clearer picture, lets see three verses Surah 4:1-3 whose context is obviously related ie caring for parents, orphans and the widows who have children.

These verses have nothing to do with ‘MARRIAGE’. They talk about caring for the old, the less fortunate and the orphans.

Here are the verses in full. Please note Surah 4:3

Surah 4:1-3

4:1 O people, observe your Lord; the One who created you from one being, and created from it its mate, then spread from the two many men and women. You shall regard GOD, by whom you swear, and regard the parents. GOD is watching over you. (watching over you = alaikum raqiiban)

Here Allah is telling us to regard the parents. God is watching over all of you (plural) = alaikum raqiban.

4:2 You shall hand over to the orphans their rightful properties. Do not substitute the bad for the good, and do not consume their properties by combining them with your properties (amwaali-kum). This would be a gross injustice.

Here Allah is telling us to take care of the orphans. Don’t mix their properties with your (kum : plural) property.

4:3 And if you fear that you are not fair with the orphans, then marry them off, what is easy for all of you (plural), from the women, twos and threes and fours. Then if you fear you cannot be fair then just one or what you have control over with your right hand. That is better, that you do no injustice.

Please read the last verse 4:3 again carefully. Note the word ‘FA-INKIHUU’ which means ‘MARRY THEM OFF’. Marry off the mothers’ of the orphans so that they can have new homes and families.

It does not mean ‘YOU GO AND MARRY THEM YOURSELF’. That is not the meaning of this verse. Also pay attention to the word ‘KUM’ which means all of you (plural). Not singular ‘KA’ which means you (a single male).

Here Allah is referring to the whole community, that the community must take care of their parents (4:1), the orphans (4:2-3) and the widows (4:3). Lets look at the verse again word by word:

Wa-in khiftum : And if you fear

alla tuqsitoo : that you are not fair

fee alyatama : with the orphans

fainkihuu : then marry them off

ma taba : what is of ease / good

lakum : for all of you (plural)

min alnisaa : from the women

mathna : twos

wathulatha : and threes

warubaa : and fours

fa-in : then if

khiftum : you fear

alla ta’diluu : you cannot be fair

fa wahidatan : then (marry off) just one

aw ma malakat : or what you have control over

aymanukum : with your (plural) right hand

thalika adna : that is better

alla ta’uuluu : that you do no injustice

Now lets see the phrase mathna, wathulatha, warubaa = twos, and threes and fours.

Dr Zakir Naik will say that this is the license to marry up to four wives. But this exact phrase also appears in another part of the Quran. Here it is:

Surah 35:1 Praise be to GOD, Initiator of the heavens and the earth, and appointer of the angels to be messengers with wings - two, three, and four. He increases the creation as He wills. GOD is Omnipotent.

Alhamdu lillahi fatiri alsamawaati wal-ardi jaaili al malaa-ikati rusulan uuli annihatin mathna wathulatha waruba’a yazeedu fee alkhalqi ma yashao inna allaaha ala kulli shay-in qadeer

So the malaikat have “wings” in twos, and threes and fours? So do the malaikat have two wings (mathna) sometimes? Other times they may have three (wa thulatha) wings? Or sometimes they have four (wa ruba’a) wings? Can Dr Zakir Naik answer?

Clearly mathnaa, thulatha and ruba’a refers to a plurality, indicating many. It is not limited to just two or three or four. It means many.

Going bak to Surah 4:1-3, the community must take care of all the orphans, the aged people and the widows (mathnaa, thulatha wa-rubaa). The whole community has an obligation to take care of the less fortunate.

There is absolutely nothing about marrying two wives, three wives or four wives.

Here is another verse from the Quran that a man cannot have two wives.

Surah 33:4 “GOD did not give any man two hearts in his chest. Nor did He turn your wives whom you sideline as if they are (only) mothers for you. Nor did He turn your adopted children into genetic offspring. All these are mere utterances that you have invented. GOD speaks the truth, and He guides in the (right) path.”

God did not give any man TWO HEARTS inside his chest.

Here God is clearly referring to the dirty Arab custom of sidelining a wife when she gets old, leaving her to play the role of a mother only while the husband goes out and gets a new younger wife to entertain himself. God is saying that He did not give a man TWO HEARTS to do such things. You cannot even marry a second wife. There is no polygamy in Islam.