Islam, polygyny and modern feminist thinking: An appraisal of Mariama Ba’s so long a letter

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.