Just one. Men can have as many wives as they can equally care for.

One; Islam is sexist.

Men in Islam are allowed to have 4 wifes at the same times... but this is related to too many rules & regulations that if followed presicly he will not be able to have them... this right was given to men due to the fact that women may not always be available for him when in need due to her being busy with the kids & home + having long periods + pregnancy & birth issues... if getting to know islam in truth.. you may notice that it is not encouraged that partners have intercourse during monthly period... due to the diseases that this may cuase to both. Women on the other hand only get to have one.. this is to save the right of the children since she may not be able to know which child belongs to which husband if she was allowed to combine husbands...

in islam it is only one but in my religion it is at least two. if she so choses.

a woman in Islam is only allowed one husband at a time, although her husband may have up to four wives, and as many concubines as he can support.

a women can have one husband at a time ...... but if they get devoriced or the husband has passed away, the women does have the right to get married infinte times..but for one man only every time

Same as in Christianity and most other religions, I'd guess. What say you.

The following is a response to comments by Twhupfold. The response is too long to fit into the comment box which allows only a maximum of 1000 characters. Apologies if you were expecting an answer to the main question. Twhupfold, 1. If you’re happy we’ll close this one for now. 2. I think we’ve dealt with female circumcision. As for male circumcision, the only concern you’ve raised here is that it is done without the child's consent. I agree with you. It’s one of the burdens of parental responsibility, you have to make decisions on behalf of your child no matter how difficult, nobody else will make them for you. You do what you think is in the best interest of your child. If you become afraid of deciding you could make life very difficult. Your decisions on behalf of the child don’t start with choosing its name they start long before that and carry on long after, tapering off with the child’s increasing ability to decide for him/herself. 3. Regarding marriage/divorce yes again I agree with you that there is a great deal of ignorance among Muslims about what the scriptures say. In many cases mundane scriptural guidance gives way to the forces of local cultural traditions. 4. You’ve boiled down the Ayaan/cartoons issue to a comparison between the exercise of a right (to freedom of expression) by one party and the act of murder and criminal damage by the other. I agree it is a very stark contrast. However, the latter acts are regulated. There can’t be many societies where murder/criminal damage are allowed, or many religions where they are encouraged. In Islam the unjustified taking of a single life is likened to the killing of a whole nation. So there is no doubt about the verdict on the one who killed and those who caused criminal damage, even though they were all committed as reactions, they stand condemned by all. When we turn our attention to what sparked it all off we can see that rights cannot be absolute, especially where they have impact on others. People by their nature will push rights to the boundaries of permissible limits and sometimes beyond. This is why often the law steps in when rights are not exercised with responsibility and due regard for others. If, for example, smokers carry on insisting on their rights to smoke irrespective of the impact on others then laws are passed to define limits on their smoking. The same goes for freedom of speech. There are societies where this has been abused by some to taunt and stir up racial hatred and where legislation has had to be used to curb this freedom in order to avoid bigger problems like riots and the breakdown of law and order. People from outside a culture can be forgiven for not understanding the sensitivities of certain issues within that culture, but Ayaan was from inside that culture and she should have known that many Muslims are very sensitive about any disrespectful approach to Islam. Rights should match responsibilities. We do not give lighters/box of matches to children. However, I still stand by my earlier comments on this issue. Muslims should look into their history and they’ll find that Islam has withstood more vicious onslaughts than mere cartoons. There were unrelenting attempts to wipe them out right from birth in Mecca. They were pursued and attacked in Medina where they had sought refuge. There were several crusades mounted against them from Europe, the Mongols ransacked them in Iraq and elsewhere and they were wiped out by the inquisition from Spain a region they had turned into a jewel and pride of Europe. 5. How is Islam liberating, is a very open ended issue to address. Anyway, I’ll start off by quoting a few positive points on Islam from my answer to another question. 5.1 Amongst the major revealed religions Islam is the closest to a universal religion. It’s not based on any personality, like Buddhism and Christianity, or region of the world, like the link Hinduism has with Hindustan (India). Islam, the word, simply means ‘submission’ and ‘peace’. So we can say Islam, the religion, offers the attainment of PEACE, within oneself and without, through SUBMISSION of one’s will to the Almighty, the universal God. 5.2 Islam is for the whole of mankind without preference for any race or nation. In Islam the most honoured person, to God, is the one that is most God-conscious. 5.3 The concept of God in Islam is very well defined with a clear cut distinction between the Creator and the created with boundaries that cannot be crossed by either. In Islam there are no priests. Your relationship with God is personal, direct, and one to one. 5.4 There is logic, order, balance, beauty and harmony in Islam and there is also faith, but the beauty of it is that Islam does not want blind faith it wants belief through reason. 5.5 Islam teaches moderation, the seeking of the middle path, avoiding all extremes. It provides guidance in every aspect of life, domestic, social, economic and political. 5.6 Islam gives the highest importance to justice. Even though parents are next only to God in terms of the right to be obeyed they can still not stop you from what is just. You’ll find the others from a list of 19 positive points here http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/1540534 you’re welcome to discuss any point you disagree with.

I think just one.

You have that the other way around. A man can have up to four, if he can support them. A wife is allowed one husband at a time.

What follows is a response to comments by AmorphousBlobby and Twhupfold. It is too long to fit in a comment box and is therefore presented here. Apologies if you were expecting an answer to the main question. 1 “(Modern day) Iran, Saudi Arabia, parts of Sudan, parts of Pakistan, parts of Afghanistan.” – I am not sure these are real theocracies. I don’t think the clerics in Iran are part of the government administration, probably more like advisors. The immensely popular Ayatollah Khomeini who was hailed as a hero after the overthrow of the Shah refused to be part of the governing body. Saudi Arabia is a monarchy and Islam does not approve of hereditary rule. The others you mention are parts of countries, and if they are not federal states with their own recognised state governments and constitutions then you’ll probably agree they don’t really count. 2 “(Past) What is now Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, parts of India.” – We can analyse those if you want but I’ll put the past regimes aside for a while. 3 “The Islamic invasion of Europe? (Spain, for example)” – The Romans ruled the region before Christ. When their empire weakened the Visigoths and Vandals vied for power. This was a period of rapidly changing alliances where rulers under threat from one neighbouring power sought the help of another (irrespective of religious affiliations) and where territorial expansion would obviously be seen as a good way of avoiding easy defeats by smaller neighbours. This process led to the introduction and rapid expansion of Muslim rule over vast areas of the Iberian peninsular speeded up by the help of oppressed minorities like Jews and Arians who welcomed the tolerant attitude of the Muslims. The stability that this brought led to progress which made the region the most civilised, advanced and enlightened place in Europe. The religious freedom here provided Jewish minorities from elsewhere with a safe haven and enabled the vast majority of the region’s population to remain Christians despite over seven centuries of Muslim rule. However, the process that led to Muslim rule over the region also led to its decline and by 1492 takeover by a Catholic monarchy, wrongly called a ‘reconquest’ in order to rally support, was complete. Within ten years, by 1502, the Catholic rulers started the inquisition which gave all Muslims and Jews the option of converting to Catholicism, exile from land that had become their only home for centuries or death. 4 “the executions of Apostates” “Kill apostates - is this in the Quran, or reasonably inferable from it?”– freedom of religion is enshrined in the HQ. It is stated in several different ways. For example “Thou (Mohammed) art not at all a warder (dictator) over them” 88:22, “(It is) the truth from the Lord of you (all). Then whoever will, let him believe, and whoever will, let him disbelieve.” 18:29 and “There is no compulsion in religion. The right guidance is now clear from error.” 2:256. Islam tends towards common sense, it recognizes that sincere belief has to come from within a person, borne out of conviction, preferably based on reason, otherwise it is meaningless. One doesn’t really have to defend the Muslims’ commitment to freedom of religion, the religions of the majorities in both the Iberian peninsula and in India after centuries of Muslim rule are adequate witnesses to that. 5 "kill people" – For thirteen years the idolaters of Mecca persecuted, tortured, imprisoned and killed the small but growing band of Muslims. Every time they wanted to fight back Mohammed told them he hadn’t received authority to take up armed resistance. When the Muslims finally managed to flee to Madinah, the Meccans (idolaters) waged war against Madinah. Permission to fight now came in HQ 22:39 which said “Sanction is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged” and HQ 22:40 describes one category of people allowed to fight as “Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is God”. However, the permission to fight is only valid as long as the reason for fighting is there. If the reason is defeated or voluntarily ceases then the permission to fight ceases also, or, as HQ 2:193 puts it “And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for God (ie people are free to worship God). But if they (the persecutors) desist, then let there be no hostility except against wrongdoers.” There are HQ verses and Hadeeth (anecdotal reports) which stipulate rules of engagement. Amongst them is HQ 9:6 which says “And if anyone of the idolaters (enemy combatant) seeks thy protection, then protect him so that he may hear the word of God (and perhaps seek peace); and afterward convey him (escort him) to his place of safety. That is because they are a folk who know not (about God).” This was about 1400 years ago, long before the Geneva convention and I doubt if even that says you escort your enemy to his safety! 6 “Kill anyone who blasphemes Allah - is this in the Quran, or reasonably inferable from it?” – HQ 7:180 says that “God's are the most beautiful of names (descriptions). Invoke Him by them. And LEAVE THE COMPANY OF THOSE WHO BLASPHEME His names. They will be requited (by God) what they do.” Muslims are not allowed to condemn what the idolaters worship even though their gods are just idols and regarded as false by Muslims. HQ 6:108 commands “Revile not those unto whom they pray beside God” 7 “Kill anyone who blasphemes the Prophet Muhammed - is this in the Quran, or reasonably inferable from it?” - The prophet was openly mocked. Some instances are recorded in the HQ itself for all to see. For example 15:6 tells us he was called mad to his face “And they say: O thou unto whom the Reminder is revealed, lo! thou art indeed a madman!” The advice to him as always was as in HQ 73:10 “And bear with patience what they utter, and part from them with a fair parting” 8 “bombed Afghanistan to remove the Taliban, who murdered 3000+ people on September 11, 2001” – [Below, in response to this and the next point, you’ll find perspectives that may be different to yours but they’re not incredible, they’re certainly not meant to offend and they might also be found in respectable sources. The pursuit of Western Interests by the West is natural, everyone does it. But, when this involves covering up or turning a blind eye to injustices in some quarters whilst hyping up and taking action against them in other quarters then the rational and impartial mind is bound to cry foul.] You’ll no doubt be aware that there are some serious questions relating to the nature of the collapse of the buildings at the WTC site which resulted in the large death toll. There are also various theories floating around about the plane attacks themselves, some of them quite strange, but let’s put all that aside for now. Afghanistan is a country at the opposite end of the scales of wealth and military might compared to the US. Its people have the misfortune of being caught up in wave after wave of wars, as either foreign forces or internal groups sweep through the country seizing power. The earliest documented invasion was by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C. Jumping to the thirteenth century there were two waves of Mongol invasions followed by the Russian Tsars, then twice by the British, in 1838 and 1878 and then came the Soviet invasion of 1979. This set off alarms bells in the US which lent its full support, like sophisticated arms, to internal groups and foreign mercenaries like Bin Laden to drive out the Soviets. When the Soviets left, warfare continued as different groups tried to take overall control. The chaos continued until a new group called the Taliban (seekers of knowledge) which had no connection with the US started to sweep through the country with popular support, establishing its own brand of radicalism. Alarm bells rang again in the US who feared the popular support might spill over into neighbouring oil rich and pro western countries. A US invasion to halt or oust the Taliban was now on the cards and according to some reports support was forthcoming from the likes of the Soviets, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran and India all of whom were worried at the rapid spread of Taliban control. The problem was how to sell the idea to the US public and the rest of the world. The problem vanished when the planes were flown into the buildings. GWB pointed the finger of blame at Usama and demanded him from the Taliban. The Taliban had not invited Usama but found him very helpful in their fight and were honour bound to protect him, unless the US could provide undisputable evidence for their allegations. The result as we know was an unleashing on Afghanistan of America’s mountain-shaking fury from the air. Usama was not bagged, but the foreigners who might have earlier helped the US fight the Soviets were now in Guantanamo, the Taliban was ousted and a pro-western government is in place in Kabul protected by western forces. 9 “Our military is in Iraq because Saddam was a terrorist and a perceived threat” – Saddam evidently had a dictatorial grip over his country from the start. However, his threat cannot have extended beyond his immediate neighbours. He probably did use violence and terror to suppress rebellion, but no great fuss was made about this, perhaps because he kept the supplies of oil flowing. Oil was also kept flowing by the Shah in next door Iran so again there was no need to kick up any fuss about the excesses of his secret service the SAVAK. However, when the Shah was overthrown by popular revolt Saddam got a green light, and perhaps support, from the West to invade Iran and maybe help crush the revolution while it was still young and weak. When that adventure was over Iraq tried the same trick with its much smaller neighbour Kuwait which it claimed was part of its territory before the West drew up national boundaries in the region. Though small, Kuwait was a good supplier of oil so Bush senior dealt Saddam a crushing defeat and drove him out of Kuwait. Saddam now started his anti Western rhetoric and gave the impression of having WMDs. Israel has no oil, but it’s a state carved out of Palestine, with the help of the West, to house Jews from Europe and elsewhere. A state whose survival the West has been determined to see through. Any threat to the security of Israel is regarded by some in the West as a threat to their own security. So, again no fuss is made about Palestinian human rights violations by Israel or its possession of WMDs. But, if WMD’s are even hinted at in any state neighbouring Israel then a ‘shock and awe’ attack against the state followed by total chaos can become a reality, as it was/is for Iraq. Phew! hope I've responded to all your comments.

Whether Muslims choose to sleep on the same side as Muhammad is their choice and harms no one. What you have not addressed is the question: is it right to deflower 10 yo girls, who have not even gone through puberty? Clearly, by your answer, in that you think that Aisha did not suffer, you have no objections to raping a child. That is what it is. Rape. A little girl who is sexually used by an old man is a sick thing, my friend, and much as you admire your prophet, he did no service to women by having sex with Aisha. And he did Aisha no good either. She should have been home with her dolls and her mum, not being deflowered by an old man. Islam CAN, if it wants, outlaw such practices, but how can it when its Prophet engaged in them, and people want to emulate him so much that they want to deflower children just like him. (the site would not let me load this as an answer)

Thankyou borasalama. As I have noticed, Singwell seems to be actively campaining against the Prophet(PBUH) and Islam. Singwell; you have our answers (mine tend to be based heavily on logic as well as evidence), but you just dont want to listen.

Changed to comment, sorry.

A man can have up to four wives a woman can only have one husband.

one. but she can get remarried after her divorces [if she does get divorced] or after her husband dies. and in islam marriage isn't a sacrament i believe, so it's not like in the catholic church where your marriage the second time around is invalid in the church because of the previous marriage.

actually none... a woman is not allowed to HAVE dominion ( or ownership) of anything...muslim men have wives.... women have prayer but only after men

Men only get to pick unmarried women. Women get to choose from married men AND single men.

At a time only 1!If she is divorcee then she can have new marriage and a husband!!If she is in a marriage then she cannot have more than 1 husband!Strictly prohibited(haraam)in islam.

alas only one...the islmaic laws on marriage are the following..a woman can only have one husband...a man can have up to four wives...a man can divorce his wife simply by pronouncing it three times to her.... a woman can only divorce if she shows "just cause"..and if she does get granted the divorce she must repay her husband the amount given to her upon marriage...forgive me I forgot what is was called but it doesnt really matter..

Islam is not about discrimination, or slavery, or any kind of "bad"..... we view things from our prespective, and God has another view, he has full knowlege about everything.... we are (as muslims) not allowed to drink alchohols... why? look at what they do?? you will be happy or jumping out of joy for how long tell you get shocked with reality again... maybe you are happy... but what about your liver?? is it working properly??... there are good things about drinking...it's not all bad and islam doesnt denies that... it's just that the bad outcomes the good... and that is one example.... if you are still wondering why women cant have 4 husbands at a time, well first.... lets say it is.. who is the father?? who is the gaurdian of this child besides the mother ofcourse.... if it was one father and 4 wives it would be easier.... the father is the father and the mother is that pregnant women... that is why when we look at things from our own prespective we cant understand or justify some of the things that are prohibited or not allowed or consider them "evil" for us while we see the opposite.

Islam allow men to marry 4wife for several reason the most important one is becacue number of women is usuall more than number of men....

woman has only one.and u will be shock that every Muslim men or woman follow it.u can not heard that there are two husband of any any Muslim woman.