Islam's Reformers .pdf

progress of Muslims can be achieved by holding fast to Islam. Itis impossible to attain salvation by abandoning Islam, which isunnecessary.Many people argue saying, “While nikâh is performed, everysort of condition can be laid down. The woman can demandfrom the man whom she is to marry to remain with a single wifethroughout their married life and to give her the right of divorce.”These words are right. Islam gives woman this right, too. Thereis detailed information on this subject in Radd al-muhtâr.If a man, for the sake of his respect for the emotions of hisfirst wife, should not marry another woman, should he succumbto his sexual desires and satisfy his desires in other places.Should he injure his own chastity and honesty and spoil thechastity and honesty of another woman? Should he sin asmuch as he wants and deserve the punishments stated in theabove-quoted hadîths? Should evil feelings arise in his wifewhen she finds out these illegitimate, evil deeds of herhusband? Should her chastity be injured lest her feelingsshould not be injured? We wonder if a woman who might hearthat her husband cohabits with bad women will not suffer aheavy blow? Will not the effects of being a dishonest man’s wifebe added to this? Moreover, if we think about the harm done tothe wife’s chastity; its harm to the husband; the harm done tothe husband or wife of the woman or man with whom they haveillegitimate relations, respectively, and the harm done to thechildren affected by these offenses, and the health that is riskedto venereal diseases, it will be easier to decide correctly andreasonably. Syphilis and gonorrhea spread throughpromiscuous relations and threaten the whole world. See theDivine Wisdom! Allâhu ta’âlâ has sent the worst, the mostdangerous diseases in the actions outside of Islam. Thechildren involved are not only the children that have not beenborn; Islam’s subtle command rajm (stoning to death) againstadultery is the punishment commanded by Islam to prevent thebirth of the child that would be born out of adultery as adegenerate bastard and would have no honour in humanity.When the children in the home are smeared with thesedangerous diseases, the whole family will be dragged on todeath materially and spiritually. With ta’addud az-zawjât, whichprevents all these harms, only the first wife is harmed slightly.This harm is psychological but not a harm pertaining to- 125 -