Islam, only faith that instructs only one wife- Ustaz Abdulwahab

AN Islamic scholar, Ustaz Abdulwahab Muhammad has described the erroneous belief in some quarters as to Islam’s encouragement of multiple number of wives or coercion to practicing polygamy as an aberration of the true teachings of the faith. The scholar who was speaking while delivering a lecture in this year’s Ramadan Lecture Series organized by Kogi State Council of Ulama’u, said some people quote the actual injunction out of context for selfish reasons. He anchored his message on Chapter 4 Verse 3 of the Holy Qur’an, which reads: “Marry women of your choice, two, three or four, but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with them, then only one.” Ustaz Abdulwahab, who gave further explanations about the use of the word: “Just”, told the faithful that adequate care for the wife or wives is sacrosanct, as the inability of the man to take good care of his spouse (s) does not only lead to loss of respect in the eyes of the woman, but also leads to incurring God’s wrath. He reminded Muslims that rather than as just a trophy, the woman, as far as Islam is concerned, is supposed to be a companion to the man, to help him share in his good bad times, be a shoulder to lean on and a friend to talk to; and admonished against the maltreatment of women. Ustaz Abdulwahab said rather than servitude, the woman is supposed to enjoy and not endure her marital home, and gave example of the practice of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who used to assist his wives with their chores, and called on Muslims to take a cue from there. The scholar says: “The woman was created from the rib of the man to be his companion and confidant, not his punching bag”, adding that it is wrong for a man to marry a woman if there is no understanding and agreement between them on the marriage. He said there must be physical, ideological, lifestyle and emotional compatibility between a man and a woman before the parties can be joined in marriage, saying that where any of the above is lacking can result in disagreement and disharmony. In his contribution, Ustaz Zak, who made a case for the women/men population ratio, said it was better for a man, especially those with capabilities to marry more than one wife to avoid social vices such as prostitution, drug abuse and others in the society.