Islam does allow polygamy but the conditions under which it is permissible are often brushed aside. So when a dating/matchmaking website was created for married men, of course, it stirred a debate. What were the people behind secondwife.com thinking?
Now the dating site secondwife.com is going viral for providing matchmaking services to married men. The website was created to allow married men to seek second, third, fourth wives and so on if they seek polygamy.
This initiative isn’t new, but their recent social media adverts had them go viral. They recently launched their own mobile app that’s available on PlayStore as of April 2021.
Much like the subject of multiple marriages, people remain divided over this particular dating site.
About secondwife.com – Matchmaking For Married Men
The company is founded by Azad Chaiwala to ‘revive the lost sunnah of polygamy’.
The website even goes as far as asserting this service for ‘practicing Muslims only’. How do they define a practicing Muslim? There’s also an emphasis on the privacy of communications because;
“Someone may find it and they might be your future husband or wife,”
Obviously, someone on a dating/matchmaking site is exploring more than one prospect. Then why shroud it in secrecy?
An Islamic Perspective
The verses in Surah Nisa of the Quran that addresses polygamy are as follows;
“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 only one.” (Al-Nisa’, 4:3)
A subsequent verse states: “You are never able to be fair and just between women even if that were your ardent desire.” (Al-Nisa’, 4:129)
Therefore it is clear that polygamy in Islam is not a right, but a responsibility to ensure support for orphans, and widows i.e casualties of war. Islam doesn’t provide men the blanket right to have more than one wife.
Even Netizens pointed out how it was the Prophet’s (PBUH) sunnah to marry divorcees and widows in case of multiple marriages. This is why the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) sunnah must not be misconstrued in the case of polygamy.
There were others who slammed the owners of this matchmaking site inquiring if they;
“Also develop an app which helps in finding jobs for the unemployed, or an app that helps in identifying stalkers, malingerers, and fraudulent online accounts. No?”
In today’s economy, it’s a necessity for everyone to financially support themselves. If not to provide financial security to underprivileged women and single mothers, what is the purpose of polygamy?
That’s why some supported this initiative.
Whereas some people just cracked jokes that they need help finding a first wife. While some women joked about needing an app to help men become better husbands.
Who is the Target Audience?
Additionally, the language of the advert is English. Which raises the question, who is their target audience? In most, predominately English speaking countries polygamy is outlawed. In case these people move elsewhere and initiate a marriage it still has no legal holding in their ‘home state’.
Recently a sexual harassment scandal emerged against Muslim cleric Nouman Ali Khan. The sham marriages had a dubious cover of ‘Islamic marriage’ with no legal holding in North America.
Such marriages cannot be legally registered in countries where polygamy is outlawed and women are cheated out of legal protection that comes with a legal marriage.
Excilent
Yes
I am
Ready
For cikend wife