Does Polygamy Oppress Women—or Save Them?

There is no dispute that a society built upon polygamy is a thousand times better than a society that prohibits it while simultaneously permitting sexual chaos and mistresses. Anyone who looks at polygamy objectively will find it fair to women, for it is a lawful bond that entails rights and obligations. It is conditioned upon capability and justice and is therefore not permitted for just anyone—such as pleasure-seekers and the irresponsible—who lack the ability to provide, and who give no weight to moral restraint or family care.

When Islam permits polygamy, it does so in the interest of women, men, and society alike, protecting all from the clutches of temptation, moral deviation, repression, despair, and deprivation. A woman who is harmed by polygamy has the right to reject it or to stipulate against it in her marriage contract. She is given a choice: she may accept the new situation or seek divorce and look for a husband who does not practice polygamy. However, she has no right to demand that her husband divorce his other wife.

Male Nature and the Wisdom of Polygamy

By nature, men are inclined toward women, as Allah Says, {The enjoyment of ˹worldly˺ desires—women, children,1 treasures of gold and silver, fine horses, cattle, and fertile land—has been made appealing to people.} [Ali `Imran 3:14]
A man’s sexual capacity is continuous and extended, unlike that of a woman. Polygamy was therefore legislated to protect him from falling into what is forbidden. It also fulfills a pressing need for some men, for reasons detailed in Islamic jurisprudence, or when a man marries a righteous woman who lacks a protector or provider.

While a polygamous man in Muslim societies bears the responsibility for the children resulting from marriage—both by religious command and social custom—the mistress in Western societies bears the burden of pregnancy alone. She either raises the child after the father abandons it while still a fetus in her womb, searching for another lover, or the child is killed through abortion.

Statistics indicate that 615,911 abortions were performed in the United States in 2020, compared to 625,346 abortions in 2019, according to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Moreover, a scientific study issued by the University of Leuven in Belgium—focused on examining European family trees—concluded that five centuries of sexual relations outside marriage affected the DNA of many Europeans due to illegitimate children, according to the French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur.

Polygamy as Dignity and Protection for Women

Polygamy is a form of dignity for women. Through marriage, a woman is honored, protected in her home, provided with a husband who safeguards her, and children who fulfill her maternal instinct. Her marriage—even to a man already married—protects her from men’s greed and from the merciless gaze of society.

The title of “wife” preserves her honor far better than being reduced to a mistress under glossy labels such as “girlfriend” or “partner.” This turns her into a hooker without pay—discarded by any man, even one of no value or character, who satisfies his desire and then throws her aside in search of another.

When we constricted what Allah Made lawful, people resorted to deception—and thus fell into what is forbidden. This has resulted in social disintegration that now threatens future generations and strips them of inner security.

It is deeply tragic that in our Arab countries there are thousands of lineage lawsuits filed by women against men who married them through illegitimate arrangements or lived with them outside marriage, only to deny paternity once the catastrophe occurred. These children are, in truth, victims of prohibiting what Allah Made lawful.

Moral Purification and Lineage Protection

Polygamy purifies society from moral corruption. It reduces the dangers of immodesty and unrestricted mixing, protects societies from collapse, and shields them from the diseases and plagues that now threaten Western societies—where millions suffer from incurable sexually transmitted diseases, with no decisive solution in sight.

If polygamy preserves lineage and supports social stability, having mistresses does the opposite: it fractures society and degrades the human being—whom Allah Honored above all creation—into a beast concerned only with eating, drinking, and sexual gratification, even if that involves theft and betrayal.

Sexual chaos in the West has led most men to take women other than their wives. According to the European Statistical Office, 43% of children born in the European Union in 2016 were born outside of marriage. France topped the list with 60%, followed by Bulgaria and Slovenia at 59%, Estonia at 56%, Sweden at 55%, Denmark at 54%, Portugal at 53%, and the Netherlands at 50%.

Polygamy as a Pillar of the Islamic Family System

The fundamental purpose of polygamy in Islamic law is the establishment of the family—the foundation of society and the fortress of the Ummah. Today, more than ever, the family represents the last line of defense for Islam itself.

Anyone who compares Islamic societies with Western societies will find the latter far surpassing the former in the actual number of “polygamous” men—if we strip the issue of theoretical labels and look at reality.

In the lives of most Western men there is one woman, two, three, ten, or even more. Meanwhile, in our societies, we find two or three wives—at most—among a very limited number of men.

This leads us to say clearly and without hesitation: Yes to polygamy. No to mistresses.

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• Crisis in Marriage Law

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