Controversial Questions about Islam

Controversial Questions about Islam and Comments
Book (Jews and Christians). Allah says: {Made lawful to you this
day all good things. The food of the People of the Book are lawful
to you [except when specifically mentioned to be forbidden such as
swine] and your food is lawful to them, and the chaste women from
the believers and the chaste women from the people who received
the scriptures before you, if you pay their dowry and take them in
legal wedlock, not illegally or as concubines (girl friends).} (1) This
is perhaps due to two reasons:
1. Judaism and Christianity are the early versions of Islam. Both
religions were referred to in the Holy Quraan as Islam or some of
its derivations. Accordingly, the Muslim husband partially respects
his wife’s religion, which in turn prevents him from humiliating her
or forcing her to change her faith. (2) This same fact made marriage
to an atheist or a pagan forbidden for a Muslim, because Islam
completely contradicts atheism and paganism. This fact is likely to
jeopardize the marriage bond sooner or later.
2. Islam guarantees the wife’s rights as part of the Divine law,
which is not subject to change and it is binding on the Muslim
husband. It guarantees the spouse’s freedom of religion.
As far as the non-Muslim husband is concerned, he is either not
committed to any religion that has obligatory laws preserving the
wife’s rights, or else he follows some man-made laws that may be
wrong and are subject to change. Indeed, if we look closely at the
laws concerning the wife’s rights in secular systems, we will find
many contradictions and on-going changes. Under all circumstances,
there is no guarantee of freedom of belief or worship for the Muslim
woman if she marries a non-Muslim person.
Why Can a Man Marry up to Four Wives?
The issue of Islam permitting a man to marry up to four wives
provided that he is fair to them all was looked at as a negative thing
especially from the women’s perspective. But what are the facts?
(1) Holy Quraan, 5:5.
(2) see for example Holy Quraan, 2: 128, 132; 3: 67 and see al-Qadi who quoted over 20
verses from the Holy Quraan.
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