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playing with bows and arrows. rejoicing. drinking and amusing themselves. In the house, they spread Oakum (clothes in brilliant colours) to make coloured pictures on the house walls. as women played the tambourine. 1 Also, women used to help girls to deck themselves out and to wear their jewels. Moreover. families even borrowed jewels from other families. For example, Utball bin Rabea. who had a remarkable position among the people of his tribe, borrowed jewels to marry off his daughter to AN Suf-'y- 1h. and pawned his son for . them. Jewels were kept for one month by the borrowers before they were given back. It is significant that the more lavish ceremoAies of pre-Islamic weddings accompanied less emphasis on the quality of the marital relationship, whereas Islam stressed the responsible internal nature of marriage and simplified the extraneous festivities. Polygamy in Pre-Islamic Arabia According to the Arab law, a man was allowed to have more than one wife at the same time as it was suggested that 'some interpreters had reported that it was customary to the men of QuraVsh to have V- ten wives each, sometimes more or less. 2 This practice might prevail in urban societies more than in the Bedouins. as Hatab 00 believed that 'as a result of urban life, appearance of techniQ*ans and rich class, stability of resources of living and men's ability to spend. the rate of polygamy had risen. 3 In fact, polygamy was not confined only to Arabs. it existed among Jews and Christians. w- - 6Afifi. Vol- 1. P. 161 2. 'All. Vol. 5. P* 535 3. See Hatabs op. cit. * P. 45 00 33
'Excepýi for rare cases in countries t where Muhammedan I law prevails. monogamy is enforced by both law and custom among Jews. although neither Bible (Old Testament) nor Talmud formally forbids polygamy. And it was said that 'Some Rabbis prohibited polygamy, but others allowed it only in the case of the first wife being sterile. Moreover. itwas reported that King Solomon had seven hundred wives, Princesses and three hundred concubines. His son had eighteen wives and sixty concubines. Each of Rehobama's twenty eight'sons had many wives. Even the wise men of the Talmud have given good advice that no man should marry more than four-wives. 3 And according to some aacounts, 'The Hebrew Family, along with the whole family system of the Middle East historical times. has been characterised as polygamous. The Bible set no limit to the number of wives or concubines a man might take. 4 Also. the Persians used to have many wives with a view to having as many boys as they could, because boys were needed for wars. So it was not strange that polygamy was common in Jahiliyyals time. Possible reasons foran ordinary man taking a new wife, included the desire for more children, to strengthen family and tribe or to father more sons if only daughters were borne by his former. wife, for sons would help him in his work and give a source of prid4. The Chief of the Tribe, in addition, sometimes desired to bring reconciliation between conflicting tribes or to strengthen their relations with another tribe. Afurther reason operated. when a man had some women. captives from noble families, in which case they used to consider it better to free them and to &at married to them. Hastings James. Encyclopedia of Religion and_Ethics, Voý. VIII@ P. 461. 2.9 v .ý Sý&Ati HamudallWamily Structure in lslamv P. 113-- 3.0 4. Ibid. 5. al-pabb; 'gh, op. cit., P. 245 2 34 5
- Page 1 and 2: THE CHANGING POSITION OF WOMEN IN A
- Page 3 and 4: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to exp
- Page 5 and 6: INTRODUCTION The Islamic and Arabic
- Page 7 and 8: The status of women in Islamic and
- Page 9 and 10: civilization or of both combined. S
- Page 11 and 12: funcultivatable valley', although i
- Page 13 and 14: 2) The second source of support was
- Page 15 and 16: and would not take them captive, be
- Page 17 and 18: fight Muslims; not satisfied with t
- Page 19 and 20: From the Qurlan, we know that she w
- Page 21 and 22: would not marry at all unless she h
- Page 23 and 24: unequal match. "If you can't find a
- Page 25 and 26: ut also among the Hebrews and Arame
- Page 27 and 28: that The fact is/ this marriage doe
- Page 29 and 30: elated to the economic and social c
- Page 31 and 32: However. Islam forbade this kind of
- Page 33 and 34: How was the wife treated Most of th
- Page 35: 49 Another example is the Zainah ma
- Page 39 and 40: ArZý; The wife of Shai used to dis
- Page 41 and 42: A man could divorce his wife. remar
- Page 43 and 44: women as the Qurlan says: For those
- Page 45 and 46: divorce. the man takes compensation
- Page 47 and 48: The Woman's Inheritance in Pre-Isla
- Page 49 and 50: among his children. giving to a mal
- Page 51 and 52: asking him to bring his mother, Lay
- Page 53 and 54: Burying Daughters Alive In Pre-Isla
- Page 55 and 56: 2. The second motive was the fear t
- Page 57 and 58: "But infanticide was not a new thin
- Page 59 and 60: Or was it at any' specific age ? Th
- Page 61 and 62: some mothers must have felt that it
- Page 63 and 64: So it is not surprising that the tw
- Page 65 and 66: 0 The Qurlan caýe prohibiting this
- Page 67 and 68: CHAPTER TWO In the previous chapter
- Page 69 and 70: Ia I "As to the thief. male or fema
- Page 71 and 72: to defend the tribe or bring in boo
- Page 73 and 74: For the majority of Arab men, this
- Page 75 and 76: the Islamic system for sharing out
- Page 77 and 78: Marriage in Islam The family is the
- Page 79 and 80: A tradition reported that. "when a
- Page 81 and 82: I. The first kind includes those wo
- Page 83 and 84: 2. Also. Islam has forbidden a man'
- Page 85 and 86: However. a man can get married to a
playing with bows and arrows. rejoicing. drinking and amusing<br />
themselves. In the house, they spread Oakum (clothes in brilliant<br />
colours) to make coloured pictures on the house walls. as women<br />
played the tambourine.<br />
1 Also, women used to help girls to deck<br />
themselves out and to wear their jewels. Moreover. families<br />
even borrowed jewels from other families. For example,<br />
Utball bin<br />
Rabea. who had a remarkable position among the people <strong>of</strong> his tribe,<br />
borrowed jewels to marry <strong>of</strong>f his daughter to AN Suf-'y- 1h. and pawned<br />
his son for<br />
. them. Jewels were kept for one month<br />
by the<br />
borrowers before they were given back. It is significant that the<br />
more lavish ceremoAies <strong>of</strong> pre-Islamic weddings accompanied less<br />
emphasis on the quality <strong>of</strong> the marital relationship, whereas Islam<br />
stressed the responsible internal nature <strong>of</strong> marriage and simplified<br />
the extraneous<br />
festivities.<br />
Polygamy in Pre-Islamic Arabia<br />
According to the Arab law, a man was allowed to have more than<br />
one wife at the same time as it was suggested that 'some interpreters<br />
had reported that it was customary to the men <strong>of</strong> QuraVsh to have<br />
V-<br />
ten wives each, sometimes more or less.<br />
2<br />
This practice might<br />
prevail in urban societies more than in the Bedouins. as Hatab<br />
00<br />
believed that 'as a result <strong>of</strong> urban life, appearance <strong>of</strong> techniQ*ans<br />
and rich class, stability <strong>of</strong> resources <strong>of</strong> living and men's ability to<br />
spend. the rate <strong>of</strong> polygamy had risen.<br />
3<br />
In fact, polygamy was not<br />
confined only to Arabs. it existed among Jews and Christians.<br />
w- -<br />
6Afifi. Vol- 1. P. 161<br />
2. 'All. Vol. 5. P* 535<br />
3. See Hatabs op. cit. * P. 45<br />
00<br />
33
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