The second praiseworthy category of necessity is that which is excellent in large quantities, and this category includes such matters as marriage and rank.It is praiseworthy for a man to have more than one wife, referring to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, Abbas' son said,
"The best of this community is the one with the most wives (also reported is "the best of this community is she who gives birth)."
The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, forbade celibacy because marriage protects appetites from straying, and said,
"Whosoever is able to marry should marry, it lowers the eyes and protects the private parts."
It is for this reason that the scholars of Islam say that it is not a matter that detracts from the virtue of abstinence.When one examines the examples of the Companions, it is found that the most abstemious among them had wives and were sexually active with them and those whom their right hand possessed. Many disliked the thought of meeting Allah unmarried.The question has been raised,
"How can marriage be so virtuous when Allah praised, Prophet John, son of Prophet Zachariah for being chaste? And how is it that Allah praised him for not doing something that is considered to be a virtue. In addition, Prophet Jesus, son of Mary also remained celibate. If it is as you say, would they have married?"
In answer to this question indeed Allah praised Prophet John for being chaste, and it was not, as someone once said, that he was weak or not masculine. This derogatory remark has been rejected by knowledgeable scholars and perceptive commentators on the grounds that it implies imperfection and fault,neither of these characteristics befit any of the prophets of Allah. What it does mean is that (in his state of celibacy) he was protected from wrong actions, it is also said that he was detached from all bodily desires and had no desire.From this it is understood that marriage is a desirable virtue whereas there is an imperfection in those who are able to marry but do not. The inability to marry may be counteracted with the virtue of striving. Prophet Jesus was perfect and strove. In the case of Prophet John, he was given sufficiency from Allah.
Marriage frequently distracts one from the remembrance of Allah when this is so a person is attached to the world. There are those who marry and fulfill the obligations of marriage without being distracted from the remembrance of Allah and these people attain a high rank before Allah. This high rank is found in Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, who had several wives but was never distracted from his worshipping. Rather, it increased him in worship because he protected his wives, gave them their rights, provided for them and guided them to the worship of Allah.
The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said,
"Allah caused me to love women and perfume in this world of yours, but the coolness of my eye (my delight) is in prayer." What he implied was that whereas other people have the love of women and perfume, for them such matters belong to worldly affairs,however his involvement with them was not for this worldly life but rather for the Everlasting Life because he was anxious to be wearing perfume when he met angels.Above these worldly affairs, his passion which was distinctly for him, was the witnessing of the angelic hosts of his Lord and the closeness of conversation with Him. It is for this reason that he made a distinction between the two loves by separating the two conditions in his saying
"and the delight of my eye is in prayer." There is, however, an extra virtue the satisfaction of satisfying a wife's need. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, was given an abundance of this ability and would visit all of his wives in the same hour. Anas and his companions concluded that he had been given the power of thirty men. Others such as Tawas said,
"In the matter of sexual intercourse, the Prophet was endowed with the power of forty men."
After having visited each wife he would take a purification bath before going to the next and said,
"This is better and purer."
Prophet Solomon and Prophet David were endowed with the same ability.Prophet Solomon said,
"During the night I visited a hundred or ninety-nine women. Abbas' son said,
"In the loins of Solomon there was the semen of a hundred men, and he had three hundred wives and three hundred whom the right hand possesses." It has also been reported that he had seven hundred wives. As for Prophet David, he had ninety-nine wives.Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, was sent during a time in which it was common-place to have forty wives. He reduced the number of wives a man could have to four, and made it conditional when marrying more than one that justice must prevail and each should be evenly treated, if this cannot be established, then a man should only marry one wife.Anas reported that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said,
"I have been preferred over my nation in four things – generosity, courage, abundance of sexual intercourse and great power."
The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, was a modest person. Even in the hearts of those who rejected, injured him and his Companions or tried in secrecy to harm him he was well regarded. When he met them face to face they became respectful and gave him what he requested.There are many reports of the experiences of people who met him, when Kayla saw him she began to tremble on account of timidity but he calmed her gently saying, "Poor girl, you must be calm." The father of Masood reported that a man came before the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and started to tremble,but the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, straight away put him at ease saying,
"Relax, I am not a king."
"The best of this community is the one with the most wives (also reported is "the best of this community is she who gives birth)."
The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, forbade celibacy because marriage protects appetites from straying, and said,
"Whosoever is able to marry should marry, it lowers the eyes and protects the private parts."
It is for this reason that the scholars of Islam say that it is not a matter that detracts from the virtue of abstinence.When one examines the examples of the Companions, it is found that the most abstemious among them had wives and were sexually active with them and those whom their right hand possessed. Many disliked the thought of meeting Allah unmarried.The question has been raised,
"How can marriage be so virtuous when Allah praised, Prophet John, son of Prophet Zachariah for being chaste? And how is it that Allah praised him for not doing something that is considered to be a virtue. In addition, Prophet Jesus, son of Mary also remained celibate. If it is as you say, would they have married?"
In answer to this question indeed Allah praised Prophet John for being chaste, and it was not, as someone once said, that he was weak or not masculine. This derogatory remark has been rejected by knowledgeable scholars and perceptive commentators on the grounds that it implies imperfection and fault,neither of these characteristics befit any of the prophets of Allah. What it does mean is that (in his state of celibacy) he was protected from wrong actions, it is also said that he was detached from all bodily desires and had no desire.From this it is understood that marriage is a desirable virtue whereas there is an imperfection in those who are able to marry but do not. The inability to marry may be counteracted with the virtue of striving. Prophet Jesus was perfect and strove. In the case of Prophet John, he was given sufficiency from Allah.
Marriage frequently distracts one from the remembrance of Allah when this is so a person is attached to the world. There are those who marry and fulfill the obligations of marriage without being distracted from the remembrance of Allah and these people attain a high rank before Allah. This high rank is found in Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, who had several wives but was never distracted from his worshipping. Rather, it increased him in worship because he protected his wives, gave them their rights, provided for them and guided them to the worship of Allah.
The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said,
"Allah caused me to love women and perfume in this world of yours, but the coolness of my eye (my delight) is in prayer." What he implied was that whereas other people have the love of women and perfume, for them such matters belong to worldly affairs,however his involvement with them was not for this worldly life but rather for the Everlasting Life because he was anxious to be wearing perfume when he met angels.Above these worldly affairs, his passion which was distinctly for him, was the witnessing of the angelic hosts of his Lord and the closeness of conversation with Him. It is for this reason that he made a distinction between the two loves by separating the two conditions in his saying
"and the delight of my eye is in prayer." There is, however, an extra virtue the satisfaction of satisfying a wife's need. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, was given an abundance of this ability and would visit all of his wives in the same hour. Anas and his companions concluded that he had been given the power of thirty men. Others such as Tawas said,
"In the matter of sexual intercourse, the Prophet was endowed with the power of forty men."
After having visited each wife he would take a purification bath before going to the next and said,
"This is better and purer."
Prophet Solomon and Prophet David were endowed with the same ability.Prophet Solomon said,
"During the night I visited a hundred or ninety-nine women. Abbas' son said,
"In the loins of Solomon there was the semen of a hundred men, and he had three hundred wives and three hundred whom the right hand possesses." It has also been reported that he had seven hundred wives. As for Prophet David, he had ninety-nine wives.Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, was sent during a time in which it was common-place to have forty wives. He reduced the number of wives a man could have to four, and made it conditional when marrying more than one that justice must prevail and each should be evenly treated, if this cannot be established, then a man should only marry one wife.Anas reported that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said,
"I have been preferred over my nation in four things – generosity, courage, abundance of sexual intercourse and great power."
The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, was a modest person. Even in the hearts of those who rejected, injured him and his Companions or tried in secrecy to harm him he was well regarded. When he met them face to face they became respectful and gave him what he requested.There are many reports of the experiences of people who met him, when Kayla saw him she began to tremble on account of timidity but he calmed her gently saying, "Poor girl, you must be calm." The father of Masood reported that a man came before the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and started to tremble,but the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, straight away put him at ease saying,
"Relax, I am not a king."
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