Islam_in_Focus_text

manner. Wars and persecutions burdened the Muslims with
many widows. orphans and divorcees. They had to be pro-
tected and maintained by the surviving Muslim men. It was
his practice to heip these women get resettled by marriage to
his Companions. Some women were rejected by the Com-
panions and some others sought his personal patronage and
protection. Realizing fully their conditions and sacrifices for
the cause of Islam, he had to do something to relieve them.
One course of relief was to take them as his own wives and
aceept the challenge of heavy liabilities. So he did and main-
tained inore than one wife at a time which was no fun or
easy course. He had to take part in the rehabilitation of those
widows, orphans and divorcees because he could not ask his
Companions to do things whieh he himself was not prepared
to do or participate in. These women were trusts of the Mus-
lims and had to be kept jointly. What he did, then, was his
share of responsibility, and as always his share was the larg-
est and heaviest. That is why he had more than one wife, and
had more wives than any of his Companions.
3. There were many war prisoners captured by Muslims
and entitled to security and protection. They were not killed
or denied any right, human or physical. On the contrary,
they were helped to settle down through legal marriages to
Muslims instead of being taken as concubines and common
mistresses. That also was another moral burden on Muslims
and had to be shouldered jointly as a common responsibility.