Four wives and a funda

Of late, Christopher has been watching the debate on polygamy in Islam. He wanted to clarify a few doubts with Zubeida, his Muslim friend.

Christopher: What exactly does the Quran say about having four wives?

Zubeida: As far as I know, there is one particular verse in the Quran that deals with this clearly and it is as follows – “If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your choice, two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one...." This can be found in the Chapter 4 titled ‘Women.’ That chapter also contains other verses on fair dealing with orphans and women.

Christopher: Who were these orphans?

Zubeida: In those days, because of war, there were a lot of widows and kids without any guardians. Muslims were obligated to offer them protection and dignity by receiving them into their family. It was a period of great social crisis when men were less in number and orphans were aplenty. When the men found it difficult financially or otherwise to take care of the orphans and the burden became too great for them and the existing wives, more wives were allowed--up to a max of four--to take care of the little ones. These women were themselves widows or orphans of marriageable age.

Christopher: Now I understand! Also the verse says that if a man cannot deal justly with so many wives, then he can have only one wife, right?

Zubeida: Exactly!

Christopher: It is hard to get along with one wife and I can’t imagine being fair to four! No way, man!

Zubeida: That about sums it up then. In fact, verse 129 from the same chapter kinda says the same thing. Polygamy is quite a controversial subject.

Christopher: Well, there is a rumour going around that one reason for polygamy is to allow men to fulfil their needs when they keep away from their wives during their monthly cycles. It also claims that when a man works abroad, he can take other wives.

Zubeida: I have already told you the only criterion for polygamy. Apart from this, nothing is mentioned in the Quran to the best of my knowledge and I have gone over it several times and read the opinion of experts in order to answer your questions accurately. Polygamy was merely tolerated and not encouraged in Islam. Anyway, marriage without mutual consent is not allowed and adultery is absolutely prohibited.

Christopher: I guess the best way to approach religious matters is with an open mind.

Ancient Wisdom

India is a paradox for foreigners who care to study it. Some of them often wonder why India does not show pride in its rich heritage. They feel that Indians berate themselves despite their achievements and lack true nationalism. To them, India is a young nation still coming to terms with its realities perhaps even bogged down by a turbulent past. They also wonder why Hindus often champion Muslim or Christian causes with such enthusiasm sometimes even to the detriment of their own. What they do not realise is that India is not a young child establishing its new identity who must first reject all that is alien and reclaim its rightful place.

India has in spite of all its sufferings not lost its continuity from the ancient times and is ever the wise mother who cuddles in her lap the eldest child Hindu, the youngest child Muslim and all the other sons and daughters. If she appears to be kinder to the youngest, it is only because she knows in her infinite wisdom that it is the most fragile. She has much hope and trust in her eldest, the wise one, whom she expects to be a shining example capable of carrying even the youngest on its wings. It is this karuna (compassion) and dharma of the eldest that is often mistakenly perceived as weakness by westerners but its tolerance flows not from frailty but a higher source of strength, justice, and steady vision rooted in true knowledge of the Vedas (sacred texts of Hinduism). Only the strongest can look inward and laugh at their own defects while extolling the virtues of others. The younger children must in turn imbibe from the eldest that knowledge, the most ancient of all that is the aim of life and only then will their own wisdom be complete.

Now we come to the youngest, the Muslim. The Quran contains within it the exhortation to study and learn past scriptures. Thus every Muslim is obligated to learn the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, etc. I write this only because Islam is now a much misunderstood and maligned religion even amidst some of the most learned. The teachings in Islam if properly understood is a continuation of the ancient knowledge, a reaffirmation of all that came before. In truth, it claims not to be a new religion but only an extension. Allah is only the Arabic word for Almighty God, eternal and absolute and not any new name and as the Quran says all beautiful names belong to him. Is not Brahman the most beautiful of names? Thus at its core, there is no essential Hindu-Muslim conflict in ideology.

Selfish people in search of power have always corrupted religion, dividing men and causing inordinate suffering. This truth is grasped by our Hindu brethren unlike most of the Western world which does not understand the basic unity and spirituality underlying all religions and so India is the country that treats Muslims the best. I must also add one more thing because I am truly afraid. If the misconceptions about Islam continue to be propagated around the world by both terrorists and clueless western intellectuals, there might soon be great violence against innocent Muslims who are caught in between them. I have read Islamic and Hindu scriptures quite extensively and I earnestly state that there is nothing in both that encourages violence. It is merely a spiritual and moral guide.

Unfortunately in the hands of mischievous men, the most sacred of symbols and teachings get denigrated through misrepresentation and deliberate association with violence. Did not Aurobindo (Indian sage) grieve at the usage of the Swastika by the Nazis? Muslims grieve about the loss of the sanctity of noble words like Jihad, Islam, Mujahid, Muslim, etc. to such an extent that now being a Muslim has become synonymous with being a terrorist in certain parts of the world. If in India such paranoia has ceased to exist, it is because we know the truth and the Brahmins, the most learned men of India have taken the time and effort to study the Quran and found it to be true and in accordance with Sanatana (eternal) Dharma (right way of living). It is because of this magnanimity and clarity of thought that we have assimilated ancient wisdom with the new. It is because of this that India is the magnificent smorgasbord of plurality that defies logic.

Defining the Muslim identity

Christopher has been reading about ‘Islamic terrorism.’ When he met his Muslim friend Zubeida, he had many doubts that he wanted to clarify. Zubeida told him that though some terrorists may have Muslim names, they are not Muslims. The following is a fictional conversation between Zubeida and her friend Christopher.

Christopher: Who is a Muslim then?

Zubeida: A person who bows to the will of Almighty God. The word Islam means peaceful submission to the will of Almighty God. By this definition, many people who call themselves Christians or Hindus or Jews could be true Muslims, while many who have Muslim names are not.

Christopher: But how can a Christian or Hindu be a Muslim?

Zubeida: The Quran teaches us that only Almighty God can judge who really submits to his will. All people who believe in Him and live a righteous life are Muslims. For us Quran is not the only holy book. It is only the last of many sent out by Almighty God to instruct man on how to seek Him.

Christopher: Does this mean you have read scriptures of other religions?

Zubeida: Yes, but first of all, there is only one religion.

Christopher (Incredulous): What?

Zubeida: Submission to God might be called by different names but from the beginning Almighty God has taught us the same thing—to worship Him alone and be righteous. This message can be found in the teachings of Jesus-Peace be upon him-, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, etc. and all the scriptures brought out through different messengers of God. In fact, Allah is only the Arabic word for Almighty God. It is not a name of a new God.

Christopher: But ..

Zubeida: One sec, let me give you an example. Say there is an author who has been writing countless books on a particular subject over several years. His knowledge, originally perfect, has not changed over the years and he writes the same things, sometimes in different languages, sometimes published by different companies, sometimes received by people in only one part of the world, sometimes released all over the world, etc.

Christopher: How is this relevant?

Zubeida: Messengers of Allah are like different publishers and scriptures are the books! So same message, same author, different messengers, different languages, different readers.

Christopher: Then why do people fight in the name of religion saying that their religion is the best?

Zubeida: The Quran explicitly warns against divisiveness. It says mankind is one and that people only differ amidst themselves due to selfishness. It emphasises the brotherhood of all those who believe and are righteous. This is the Muslim brotherhood. It includes righteous believers among those who call themselves Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, etc. as well. From now on when I use the words Allah and Muslim, you must remember its true meaning.

Christopher: Terrorists call themselves Muslims and all their outfits have Muslim-sounding names like Mujahideen, Jihadi, Islami etc. etc.

Zubeida: Terrorists bring destruction to themselves and those around them. Their violent actions are anything but righteous and hence they are not Muslims! Quran says that if you kill one person unjustly, it is akin to killing the whole of mankind. So, are you convinced now that terrorists are not Muslims and Muslims are not terrorists?

A humble request

If indeed it is true that there are young men with Muslim names resorting to terrorism, then it becomes imperative that the Muslim community stands even more united with the rest of world in the fight against terrorism for only that can successfully defeat terrorism. As far as I can gauge, Muslims have always condemned terrorist acts committed in its name from the very beginning. Even where there have been genuine grievances, Muslims believe in standing peacefully for justice because such an attitude is encouraged in the Quran.

The following words from the Quran amply illustrate this – “Let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.”

Also if they have any information regarding terrorist activities, a true Muslim will divulge it, standing as a witness even against his family. The following exhortation from the Quran makes that clear – ""O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for God can best protect both."

Strict adherence to the law of the land that houses them is the duty of every Muslim and as such, true Muslims will not resort to terrorism but as in every religion, there are black sheep. These hide within us without our knowledge like wolves in sheepskin beguiling us, striving ever to instill fear in our hearts and divide us. Therefore, it becomes very important that sensible people from all communities unite and refrain from throwing blame against each other for this is exactly what the terrorists want.

Terrorists use the symbols of Islam, while not adhering to its tenets, to further their cause and to recruit more people. Muslims are trying to oppose this insidious campaign and retain the purity of words like Islam, jihad, etc. so that the whole community does not look complicit in the atrocities by a few misguided youth and also because we want to prevent further innocents from being misled. There has to be total alienation of terrorists from our community so that they can be apprehended and for this we require the help of the media. We understand that the media only wants to expose the presence of terrorists and try to comprehend the rationale behind the violence. In truth, Islam does not condone the killings of innocent people even if there is an atom of justification in the intended cause. While it would be very welcome if the injustices perpetrated on the Muslim community (Palestine, Gujarat genocide, Srebrenica, etc.) are addressed, it is not a precondition and it is mischief to imply such a thing as it will cause sympathy to the terrorists and make them look “our own” which is dangerous.

I humbly request that the media abstain from using words like Islamic terrorism (an oxymoron!), jihad, Muslims, etc. while describing terrorists or their activities. Please do not give them any dignity as they are killing innocent people but please, please do not destroy our dignity for we, the Muslim community are fighting a lone battle against murderers. Will not our brothers help us?