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for another wife for her husband in order to satisfy his need for the
feeling of fatherhood. It is- believed: "This system (polygamy)
does not'imply any contempt or humiliation for the woman. And the
motive behind it is not just to satisfy lust; the woman herselfý
might, as a result of her desire to delegate some of her domestic
duties to somebody else. encourage her husband to get married to
another woman ,1
3. Another reason for polygamy which has been suggested is that
some men might be so sexually active that only one wife is not enough
to satisfy the desires and sexual needs, especially in the days of
menstruation or after child birth. In such circumstances, it would be
better for such a man to marry another woman to keep himaelf away
from sin.
Obviously, polygamy might have disadvantages, for example,
disputes between wives and their jealousy of one another, especially
if the husband. in contradiction to Islamic injunctions. is not being
fair to all his wives. Polygamous marriages are to be treated equally.
After observing that "The aptest to endure troubles is the man who
has two wives, the most liable to perish is the man who has three
2
and the nearest to madness is the man who has four. " M. SiTaY'
states. in the permission of polygamy that Allah has given us there
is nothing that forces us to go through troubles and hardship without
an urgent need. However, this shortcoming which is the result of the
wrong application of the principle of polygamy, not of the principle itself,
is nothing relative to the mountain of shortcomings associated with giving
al-Sibli. op. cit.. P. 85
2. '-'Ibid. 'P. 116
106