Muslim Slave System in Medieval India c16.14

c16.14

In later times, this encouragement to polygamy was taken advantage of by Muslim conquerors. That Muhammad restricted the number of lawful wives but did not restrict the number of slave concubines, came handy to Musalmans. He thus left upon the minds of his followers the inevitable impression that an unrestricted polygamy was the higher state¹⁹ Hazrat Umar, the second Caliph, was the first to allow instant divorce (by the pronouncement of *talaq*, *talaq*, *talaq*, three times) called *talaq-i-bidat* (innovative form of divorce), to meet an extraordinary situation brought on by wars of conquests. Those wars brought in such an influx of women that constant divorce became necessary to falicitate quick acquisition of fresh spouses by divorcing the old ones. Victory over an enemy would seem to have been consummated only when the enemys daughter was introduced into the conquerors harem²⁰ - a precept so enthusiastically practised by Muslim conquerors and rulers in India.