WOMEN UNDER POLYGAMY
fore marriage with more than one woman, that he will love one as well as the other; and this injunction is, in itself, of the nature of a deterrent. It means simply that a man must achieve a very powerful mastery over his natural preferences. Human nature being, as it is, such an impartial order of conjugal love, is not within the attainment of every man.
So strong is the insistence upon this absolutely equal distribution of a husband's affection, that men are warned of severe punishment in a future state of being, if they love one wife more than another. Recognising the risks of favouritism, Mohammed directs: "If you are afraid that you could not treat the wives with justice and equality, then marry only one."
Nothing could be plainer than this. And no doubt every devout Mohammedan strives to obey this imperative counsel. Probably, the monogamous Moslem is often swayed by this teaching. He fears that he may offend Allah by failing to love all his wives alike, and therefore he contents himself with one only.
Islamism is a comparatively new faith in India. Hinduism is not a propagandist religion. The creed of the Moslems is different; missionary zeal is one of the characteristics of the faithful. With the sword and suasion, and the use of the temporal powers, Mohammedanism spread over Persia, Turkistan, India, and into Malacca.
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