An Invitation to Joy

I am honored to invite you to attend my second wedding ceremony, to the one God has blessed me with. I must also extend my deepest thanks to my first wife for her noble stance, and for her acceptance and encouragement of this bold step, out of her altruism and desire to bring joy to my heart. I have been delighted by this deep affection between the two wives, especially since the second is a friend of the first. In fact, my second wife swore—may God reward her—that she would choose a third wife for me whenever she sees that it would increase my joy and gladden my heart. The marriage contract will be signed on Friday at the mosque next to our home. Your participation delights me, your presence honors me, and the joy is only complete with you!

This message reached me from a dear friend whom I know well, and I know that he is a supporter of the principle 'if you fear that you will not be just, then only one,' and he had raised the white flag years ago and closed the file on polygamy permanently. Therefore, I tried to call him to congratulate him on this historic shift, only to discover that his wild imagination had preceded him to the operating room, and that he is now lying in the surgical ward, in the serious injuries section, as a result of believing that a first wife might actually encourage her husband to marry her friend!

The truth is that this message opens a door that is closed out of fear, not religious law: the door of polygamy, which some see as a fleeting whim, while we see it as a national revitalization project for men and a strategic initiative to combat aging and depression!

For a man with one wife, if he falls ill, he finds only one prayer, and if his wife gets angry, he sleeps in the courtyard. But a polygamist is a businessman who owns multiple branches; if the Bahri branch closes, he activates the Khartoum branch, and if negotiations falter on one front, he opens a channel of communication on another!

Among the advantages of polygamy is that it creates a seasoned diplomat capable of managing three domestic summits at once, without the living room turning into a Security Council meeting or a third world war breaking out due to a passing word or a suspicious glance!

Economically, it stimulates markets, boosts the trade of gold, perfumes, and fabrics, and provides wide opportunities for tailors, goldsmiths, and gift shop owners. He is a man who does not merely stir emotions, but also drives the wheels of the economy!

So, O community of monogamists, do not accuse polygamists of recklessness; for in your eyes they are adventurers, while in their own eyes they are heroes who have crossed the barrier of fear.

Nevertheless, I assure you that I have never thought about polygamy on a personal level; not everyone who writes about heroism has fought the battle, and some wise men prefer to follow wars from behind the walls to preserve their physical safety!