Aslam

Praise be to Allah.This

is connected primarily to faith in Allaah. All religions are agreed

that it is not permissible for a woman to have intercourse with anyone

except her husband. Among these religions are those which are undoubtedly

of heavenly origin, such as Islam and the original versions of Judaism

and Christianity. Belief in Allaah dictates submission to His rulings

and laws, for Allaah is All-Wise and All-Knowing, He knows what is in

the best interests of mankind. So we may understand the wisdom behind

the ruling of sharee’ah, or we may not be able to grasp it.

With

regard to the permissibility of multiple spouses for men and its prohibition

for women, there are several issues which are obvious to every intelligent

person. Allaah has made woman like a vessel, but man is not like that.

If a woman becomes pregnant (when she has had intercourse with a number

of men at one time), the father can never be known. People’s lines of

descent and lineage will be mixed up, families will be destroyed and

children will be lost. Women will be burdened with so many children

that they will be unable to bring them up and spend on their maintenance.

Maybe women would find themselves forced to sterilize themselves, which

would lead to the extinction of the human race. Moreover it is medically

proven now that one of the major causes of the serious diseases which

have become widespread, such as AIDS etc., is women having intercourse

with more than one man, and the mixing of seminal fluids in the woman’s

womb causes these lethal diseases. Hence Allaah has prescribed a waiting

period (‘iddah) for a woman who has been divorced or whose husband has

died, until enough time has passed for her womb and passages to be cleansed

of any traces of her former husband, and the monthly period also has

a role to play in this matter. Perhaps these brief pointers will dispense

with the need for a lengthy discussion. If the purpose of the question

is research for a university or other assignment, he may refer to the

books which have been written on the topic of plural marriage (polygyny)

and the wisdom behind it. And Allaah is the Source of strength.