Teringat pesan Al-ghazali;
"Carilah hatimu di tiga tempat.Temui hatimu sewaktu bangun membaca al-Quran. Tetapi jika tidak kau temui, carilah hatimu ketika mengerjakan solat. Jika tidak kau temui juga, kau carilah hatimu ketika duduk tafakur mengingati mati. Jika kau tidak temui juga, maka berdoalah kepada Allah, pinta hati yang baru kerana hakikatnya pada ketika itu kau tidak mempunyai hati"
empty.
kosong.
ah, mungkin perlukan hati yang baru.sigh
Faghfirlana ya Allah.
Wah, saya in charge untuk polystyrene. Take over ben punya kerja kejap...untuk survey.
Well, ramai yang respon, tapi yang banyak respon orang bukan Islam.
Agak-agaknyakan, kita (orang Islam) tak sayang alam sekitar ke..? Bukan saja-saja nak rise up isu ni, tapi kalau tengok, isu yang kita asyik nak respon, isu politik..isu ekonomi..isu besar-besar lain.
Tapi kalau isu alam sekitar semua orang ambil enteng benda ni..hm..wonder why.
Bukan ke Allah cakap kalau nak kenal Dia, kenal melalui alam..so kalau alam sekitar pon tak pandai nak jaga, macam mana nak kenal Tuhan.sigh. People, wake up. Ini isu Ummah ok.
ps bukan nak jadi racist atau ape, cuma risau sedikit dengan masalah Ummah, ace :D
ps: another good one I guess..the links look interesting :D
pps: i'm not the supporter of polygamy, but I believe that there must be a reason why Allah allow this to some extend. We r human, our views are limited by the past and present. We do not know what going to happen in the future.Kalau menolak poligami, berarti menolak Al qur'an dong! :D
ppps: orang-orang lelaki, silalah chew article ni Bahagiakan dirimu dengan satu isteri :)
Polygamy was a way of life until the Quran was revealed 1400 years ago. When the Earth was young and scarcely-populated, polygamy was actually a way to solve the problem: the one way of populating it and bringing in the human beings needed to carry out Allah's plan. By the time the Quran was revealed, the world had been sufficiently populated, and the Quran put down the first limitations against polygamy.
Polygamy is permitted in the Quran, but under strictly observed circumstances. Any abuse of this divine permission incurs severe retribution. Thus, although polygamy is permitted by Allah, it behooves us to examine our circumstances carefully before saying that a particular polygamous relationship is permissible.
Our perfect example here is the Prophet Muhammad. He was married to one wife, Khadijah, until the day she passed away. He had all his children, except one, from Khadijah. Thus,she and her children enjoyed the Prophet's full attention for as long as she was married to him; twenty-five years. For all practical purposes, Muhammad had one wife - from the age of 25 to 50. During the remaining 13 years if his life, he married the aged widows of his friends who left many children. The children needed a complete home, with a fatherly figure, and the Prophet provided that. Providing a fatherly figure for orphans is the only specific circumstance in support of polygamy mentioned in the Quran (An Nisaa:3).
Other than marrying widowed mothers of orphans, there were three political marriages in the Prophet's life. His close friends Abu Bakr and Omar insisted that he marry their daughters, Aisha and Hafsah, to establish traditional family ties among them. The third marriage was to Maria the Egyptian; she was given to him as a political gesture of friendship from the ruler of Egypt.
This perfect example tells us that a man must give his full attention and loyalty in marriage to his wife and children in order to raise a happy and wholesome family. The Quran emphasizes the limitations against polygamy in very strong words:
"If you fear lest you may not be perfectly equitable in treating more than one wife, then you shall be content with one." (An Nisaa:3)
"You cannot be equitable in a polygamous relationship, no matter how hard you try." (An Nisaa:129)
The Quranic limitations against polygamy point out the possibility of abusing Allah's law. Therefore, unless we are absolutely sure that Allah's law will not be abused, we had better resist our lust and stay away from polygamy. If the circumstances do not dictate polygamy, we had better give our full attention to one wife and one set of children.
The children's psychological and social well-being, especially in countries where polygamy is prohibited, almost invariably dictate monogamy. A few basic criteria must be observed in contemplating polygamy:
1. It must alleviate pain and suffering and not cause any pain or suffering.
2. If you have a young family, it is almost certain that polygamy is an abuse.
3. Polygamy to substitute a younger wife is an abuse of Allah's law (An Nisaa:19).
NO Polygamy in Islam
Polygamy is defined in many dictionaries as:
"Any person (Male or female) may unconditionally marry unlimited number of spouses at the same time."
This means that a male or female may marry unlimited number of males or females at the same time. In other cultures and faiths, a male may marry unlimited number of wives, at the same, for any reason, and unrestricted with any conditions. Such practices are totally prohibited in Islam.
What is allowed in Islam is that in a specified restricted circumstances, a Muslim male may marry other females provided that there are circumstances that needs this kind of arrangements and it is restricted with several clear conditions.
Those conditions are :
1. financial,
2. physical and emotional ability,
3. equal treatment of the wives,
4. the approval of the prospective female to this kind of marriage,
5. the wives are among those who are not prohibited for him to marry either permanently (such as aunts, foster daughters and others, or temporary such as marrying two sisters at the same time),
6. and that the number of wives is limited to up to four.
So this is a legal provision that can be properly understood in the context of Islamic position on this important issue:
First, in Islam, the family is considered the cornerstone of a society; any extra-marital relationship is seen as devastating and damaging to the family, hence it is strictly prohibited. Married life is most desirable in Islam, Allah wants a woman to be a respected, and an honourable wife, never a secret mistress and Allah wants all men to be a respected and responsible husbands also, never indulging in secret affairs. Both men and women have to make sacrifices to make their family life a success.
Second, Islam and Islamic laws are for all times (past, present, future) and for all circumstances and situations. Therefore, it must accommodate all possible social and individual situations.
Third, in Islam, every Muslim man should have a wife and every Muslim woman should have a husband. One may observe that, although it has been abused in some times and places, this practice can have a valuable function in certain circumstances, in some situations it may be considered as the lesser of two difficult situations, and in others it may be even a beneficial arrangement.
The obvious example of this occurs in times of war, when there are inevitably a large number of widows and orphans left without companionship, love, money, care or protection.
If it is still maintained under these circumstances that a man may marry only one wife, other females will be deprived from having a family that includes a loving husband, a companion for life, lovely children, and a father for the children. What options is left for those women who have no chance to marry? They could either stay alone, or become someone's mistress.
Most women would not welcome either of those two options. A mistress is just an unofficial second wife who has no legal rights or security for herself or her children. The fact is that women under these circumstances may prefer to share a husband than to have none at all.The ugly consequences which usually comes along with the tag as somebody else's mistresses has made them choose this alternative. Thus, there is no doubt that it is far easier and better to share a husband when it is legally established than when it is carried on secretly with attempts to deceive the first wife.
There are other situations where this kind of practice may be preferable for all parties, such as
1. if the first wife is chronically ill,
2. if she cannot have children,
3. if a woman cannot earn a living and needs emotional and financial support.
These examples are mentioned because the society (especially the West) at large has wrongly understood the misconception of polygamy as having a large number of glamorous young girls (harem)having to serve and to please the man. Obviously this is not a real solution to some difficult and "real" social problems.
The first verse in the Quran that allows this practice was revealed following the battle of Uhud, in which thousands of Muslim men were killed, leaving widows and orphans whose care was the responsibility of the Muslim male survivors. In the Quran Allah says:-
"To orphans restore their property when they reach their age, and do not substitute your worthless things for their good ones, and devour not their substance by mixing it up with your own. For this is indeed a great sin. If you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four ; BUT IF YOU FEAR THAT YOU SHALL NOT BE ABLE TO DEAL JUSTLY WITH THEM, THEN MARRY ONLY ONE." (Quran An Nisaa:2-3)
From these verses, a number of facts are evident:
This permission is not only associated with mere satisfaction of passion, but it is rather associated with compassion towards widows and orphans, a matter that is confirmed by the atmosphere in which these verses were revealed. Even in such a situation, the permission is far more restricted than the practice that existed before or even now (unlimited number of wives and no restricted conditions). Dealing justly with one's wives is an obligation in Islam. This applies to housing, food, kind treatment, etc., that is to say that the husband has complete obligation towards all of his wives and their children without any discrimination. If one ONLY is not sure of being able to deal justly with them, Allah says to marry only one wife.
This practice is far better and honourable than the case where the husband is secretly having mistresses or involved with prostitutes (adultery). This practice is also better than the case where the husband divorces his ill wife and marry another one.The requirement of justice between wives rules out the fantasy that a man can have as many wives as he pleases, it also rules out the concept of a "secondary" wife, for all wives have exactly the same status and are entitled to identical rights and claims over their husband.
The verses say "marry" not buy, seduce, or select, since in Islam, marriage is a civil contract which is valid only when both parties consent to it. Thus no wife can be forced or given to a man who is already married, except if she agrees and her family agree, and since in Islam there is no such thing as secret marriages, then it is a free choice of both parties.
It is evident that the permission is consistent with the realistic Islamic view of the varying social needs, problems, and cultural variations throughout time and in all places.
Link:
Ps: Found this, the explanation looks relevant.
If you fear that you will not do justice, then (marry) only one. [The Qur'an 4:3]
Polygamy was practiced in many societies before the rise of Islam.
It is Islam that restricted the practice of unlimited polygamy.
It also regulated this restriction to protect the dignity and security of women in Islam.
The Qur'an is the only religious book that says marry "only one".
The "do's" and "don'ts" in Islam fall into five categories: fard (obligatory); mustahab (encouraged); mubah (permitted); makruh(discouraged); and haram (prohibited or forbidden).
Polygamy is NOT obligatory for Muslim men.
The overwhelming majority of Muslim men (more than 98%) have only one wife.
Thus monogamy is the rule amongst Muslims and polygamy is the exception.
Instead of telling the Truth, western media and literature lie about Islam as a religion that promotes polygamy.
Polygamy falls into the third category of permitted (mubah) activities in Islam.
This permission is for exceptional situations, and is subject to stringent conditions.
The Noble Qur'an permits Muslim men to marry up to four wives.
It grants this permission only to those who can look after all their wives justly.
This requirement removed the concept of "a secondary wife", for all wives have the same status and are entitled to identical rights and claims over their husband.
In 7th century Arabia, this Islamic revelation liberated thousands of women who were suffering under unrestricted and unregulated polygamy.
To those men who fear that they will not be able to deal justly, The Noble Qur'an commands them to marry only one.
The Qur'an acknowledges that it is not easy "to be just and fair between women, even if it is your ardent desire". [4:129]
This verse has been interpreted as further confirmation that the permission given in The Qur'an is for exceptional situations only.
Some have misused this verse to demand the introduction of numerous rules to curb the limited polygamy permitted in Islam.
The need to prevent the abuse of the permission given by The Almighty should not be stretched to make it impossible to practice what is permitted in The Qur'an.
No one has the right to make unlawful what The Almighty has made lawful.
The Qur'an acknowledges the difficulty of being "just and fair between women".
Why does The Qur'an then permit a Muslim to marry up to four wives?
The complete answer to this question is known only to Allah The All Knowing.
We have no way of knowing about all the situations that justify the need for this permission from The Almighty.
Some situations may exist now. Others may occur several centuries later.
The guidance found in The Noble Qur'an is for all mankind and for all times till the end of civilization.
The permission given in The Qur'an has to be understood in the context of compelling reasons that may occur in some places and at certain times.
The effort to understand these reasons must begin with The Qur'an itself.
What is the objective and historical context of the revelations relating to polygamy?
The verse [4:3] that permits limited polygamy was revealed after the Battle of Uhud in which many believers were killed.
One result of warfare is that many wives and children become widows and orphans.
In The Qur'an, the permission for polygamy is associated with showing compassion to widows and the orphans. [4:3]
The permission given in The Qur'an is therefore not a right but a responsibility placed on Muslims to ensure that widows and orphans live in dignity and security.
Applying the principle of "one man, one wife" in a postwar situation would result in many women without husbands.
The choices these women have are a life of celibacy (which Islam opposes as it not consistent with human nature) or illicit sex (which Islam forbids).
Most women would not accept these choices since most women would want a publicly accepted married life that gives them dignity, and the security and love of a legal husband and a family.
Permitting polygamy when necessity for it exists as, for example, in a postwar situation, provides a more humane solution compared to extramarital affairs.
The second wife, legally married and treated justly, is better off than a mistress without any legal rights or social recognition.
In Islam, marriage is a lawful contract freely entered into by a man and a woman to please Allah; a woman cannot be forced into a marriage against her will.
Extramarital affairs, free sex, prostitution, and humiliating women by describing them as sex workers - these are forbidden in Islam but are either legalized or tolerated in the pseudo-monogamy of the West!
By Courtesy: Dr. Y Mansoor Marican, Ph.D