Abstract:
During Prophet Mohammad’s Prophethood, many reforms were
enacted to address the place of women in a patriarchal society. One of such
reforms is the limits placed on polygyny as stipulated in Qur’an 4:3 which
limit it to a maximum of four wives. However in this twenty first century,
recourse is not made to the stipulation that makes polygyny the exception
rather than the rule.
Using Mariama Ba’s So long a letter as a basis; the researcher
endeavours to find out Muslim feminist views on polygyny using Kotokuraba
and Ayiko-ayiko Muslim communities as study areas. The study reveals that
the Islamic implementation and practice of polygyny vary among Muslims and
it is influenced by the cultural contexts of various communities. Current trends
seem to favour the social utility of the institution, rather than its religious
validity. As revealed by the research, thirteen respondents out of a sample size
of twenty which represent 65% are of the view that the reason why polygyny
is practised is ‘the social prestige syndrome’. Religion was not used explicitly
as a justification. So, there are a lot of cultural or societal influences which
encourage polygyny but men hide under the guise of the Islamic religion to
practice it.
It was recommended that some reforms are needed to compel those
involved to practice it fairly by appealing to their conscience. Thus, the main
problem with polygyny is with its practice and implementation rather than its
concept as a permissible act in Islam.
