← Claims & Evidence

Does the Qur'an command polygamy? (4:3)

The claim: "4:3 says 'marry two, three, four'; the Qur'an commands / encourages polygamy."

The verse is not a command but a conditional permission

Read together, the text's inclination is toward monogamy; polygamy is not a command but a restricted dispensation (a cap of four over the era's unlimited marriage).

An honest limit

Fact: the Qur'an permits polygamy (up to four). Inference: "so it praises / commands it." This is false: permission ≠ command; the verse narrows it with conditions and an emphasis on justice. Whether 4:3's main aim is justice to orphans or a general dispensation is open to interpretation; but "the Qur'an commands polygamy" is against the text.

Source: Qur'anic verses (M. Okuyan meal). Presented soberly and respectfully, with a text/interpretation distinction.

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