Specific cases are not general rule. Marrying a widow and "Giving her a life" makes sense only if being window is stigmatised in the society and women aren't economically empowered. which used to be the case in India but silly in today's context because our reforms started right with the women's issues, like widows and Sati. windowed or divorced women find themselves suitable man depending on their situation and their previous experience today. ...?
1. Which was the case, among a few others, that this rule applies. How many Muslim men do you know that are married to multiple women? How much is the percentage globally?
Working women isn't women's empowerment. The king represents the historic most-powerful-of-men for most people. He had people work for him not the other way.
2. I'll say somehting at the risk of some immature Pakistanis jump on me, Islam changes society AND society changes Islam. Everything is there, but what applies in which coditions, time&age etc, is a carefully studies decision. Then there's eschatological metaphysics - what was meant to be in a certain time, what part of the Islamic tradition funneled the society till that condition, where do we go from here...
...The problem of Polygamy as allowed by Islam is different. "If Man feels he can do justice ......." BS doesn't cut it for women if you really think about even in the context of middle ages leave alone present times. Try talking to Your sister or mother about having to share their husbands (In fact, with time many women sort of become control freaks and over possessive) Your Prophet most probably thought he was saving widows and giving them respectable life, but he was only right for that society in that period of time(Perhaps Arabia still is in the middle ages) looked at in the context of Islamic wars with slave women of conquered people and women of dead Mujahideen?
1. Theres NO "If Man
feels he can do justice". If Man
proves he can do justice. Man doesn't marry to himself. The woman and the state authority or society's witnesses are there to see to that.
2. Lots of truth* but one big lie: "Your Prophet most probably thought...". "laa yantiqu 3an il hawaa" - he doesn't think of his own.
* Exactly, some conditions don't apply today. But some of them from that particular example do, e;g. marriage as a basis of strenghthening bonds or palliating grieviences.
We today have a crooked Hollywood definition of love and relationships. As an indian with culture and history that goes back millenia, you might be expected to know better.
3. My definition of slave is not your definition of slave. A slave is a (usually a)POW who finds themselves in a new society, and gets a repite period working under a member of that society untill they can pay themselves off, or are freed of their bond, or their freedom is bought by another member of the society, or they marry into that society etc. There's no slave market. There's no torture. they eat at the table with you and wear the same clothes as you. Or you're toast once you die!
4. Unrelated, but you know a very restricted meaning of mujahideen. But I'd be digressing.
I did not understand, care to explain?
and be aware I am married, and if you say any thing that offends my wife, then be ready to take back the bad things that i am about to hurl back at you and women in your family.
Explaining some things that motivate people in today's monoculture to have another legal or illegal partner. The 'you' is 'a person'.