Comparison of the Viewpoints of Shahid Mutahari and Allama Tabataba’i on the Philosophy and Conditions of Polygamy

Legitimacy of polygamy is adopted from the verses of the Holy Qur’an; however, there is controversy among the Islamic scholars concerning its philosophy and rationale as well as the way it is being preconditioned upon justice. In this article, Shahid Mutahari’s viewpoint about the philosophy and rationale of this ruling as well as the stipulation of justice has been delved into and compared to Allama Tabataba’i’s viewpoints. The controversy existing between the viewpoints of Allama Tabataba’i and Shaid Mutahari in the philosophy and rationale of this ruling is because from the viewpoint of Allama the reason for legislation of polygamy ruling has been due to the man’s polygamous nature and is the man’s right; but from Shaid Mutahari’s viewpoint the main reason for the legislation of this ruling has been the social problems arising from the surplus of the number of marriageable women over men due to natural problems and incidents, hence the women’s right and viewing this issue as a right and obligation; a right for the women deprived of marriage and an obligation for men who are to accept the responsibility of forming two or three more families despite having a permanent wife, provided that they meet certain qualifications (attaining knowledge of execution of justice before getting involved in polygamy rather than trying to obtain it after polygamy – as implied from Allama Tabataba’i’s words).