The Beauty of Plural Marriage

Shaykh Abdul Aziz bin Baz dives into the topic of plural marriage in Islam in his work “The Beauty of Plural Marriage,” addressing its pros and drawbacks. He begins by quoting a Qur’anic scripture that allows men to have up to four wives and then goes on to explain why this is allowed.
One of the key reasons for allowing plural marriage is to protect women’s chastity. Limiting males to a single wife in a society where there may be an imbalance between the number of women and men may leave many women without the opportunity to marry and perhaps subject to exploitation. The system attempts to ensure that all women have the opportunity to find a decent spouse and start a family by enabling males to have many wives.

Another compelling argument to accept multiple marriages is to assist widows and orphans. When a man dies, leaving a widow and children behind, the plural marriage agreement allows the widow to remarry to one of her late husband’s other wives. This way, she and her children may continue to receive the assistance and care they require.