Islam upholds monogamy, not polygamy: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stirred a major discussion in the Assam Legislative Assembly after asserting that “In Islam, monogamy is the rule and polygamy is the exception.” 

Citing interpretations of the Quran, Sarma said that the widespread belief that Islam inherently promotes polygamy is “factually incorrect.”

Speaking during the discussion on the Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, Sarma referred to historical accounts from the time of Prophet Muhammad. He said that during the Prophet’s spiritual period, some men reportedly entered into as many as 50 marriages. The Prophet then regulated the practice and limited it to four wives under strict conditions.

According to the Chief Minister, this historical shift demonstrates that the Prophet’s intent was to curb excesses, not encourage multiple marriages. 

“His line of thinking was not in favour of polygamy. In his time, he reduced it from 50 to four. That itself shows the direction,” Sarma said.

He further claimed that under Islamic law, a man cannot take a second wife without the explicit consent of the first. “If someone marries without that consent, the marriage is not legally valid in Islam,” he told the House. 

Sarma added that several Muslim-majority nations have restricted or banned polygamy because the strict conditions laid down by the Prophet are not followed in today’s society. “Nobody follows the Prophet’s diktat 100 per cent, and people end up misusing the law,” he said.

The Chief Minister’s remarks came on a day when the Assam Legislative Assembly passed the Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025, one of the country’s most stringent laws aimed at curbing the practice.

The bill, introduced on the first day of the winter session, criminalises entering into a second marriage without legally dissolving the first. The government expects the law to come into force by early December, after receiving assent from President Droupadi Murmu.

“We will submit the bill for the President’s assent. Since the President herself is a woman, I do not anticipate any delay in approval,” Sarma said.