Why Did Prophet Muhammad Have Multiple Marriages

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Question:

Why did Prophet Muhammad marry multiple women while Jesus remained celibate? - Exploring reasons behind the Prophet’s marriages — social, political, and religious — while addressing comparisons with Jesus, who remained celibate. :::

Answer:

According to Islam Muslims believe that there were different messengers and prophets sent to different parts of the world at different times during the history of mankind and Isa alaihessalam (Jesus) was one of the mightiest messengers of Allah swt and Prophet Muhammad saws was the last and final messenger. We love and respect all prophets & messengers of Allah and believe in the message of all the prophets which was Islamic monotheism.

So Muslims are forbidden to indulge in comparing prophets of Allah to decide superiority, especially if it involves undermining the status of one at the cost of another.

Isa (Jesus) Alaaihessalam was messenger of Allah and Preached Islam

“Verily, We have inspired you (O Muhammad SAW) as We inspired Nooh (Noah) and the Prophets after him; We (also) inspired Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Ishaque (Isaac), Yaqoob (Jacob), and Al-Asbat (the twelve sons of Yaqoob (Jacob)), Iesa (Jesus), Ayub (Job), Yoonus (Jonah), Haroon (Aaron), and Sulaiman (Solomon), and to Dawood (David) We gave the Zaboor (Psalms).

And Messengers We have mentioned to you before, and Messengers We have not mentioned to you, - and to Moosa (Moses) Allah spoke directly” [an-Nisa’ 4:163-164].

“And (remember) when Allaah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): ‘O ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Did you say unto men: Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allaah?’ He will say: ‘Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it. You know what is in my inner‑self though I do not know what is in Yours; truly, You, only You, are the All‑Knower of all that is hidden (and unseen).

Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allaah) did command me to say: Worship Allaah, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them; and You are a Witness to all things’” [al-Maa’idah 5:116-117]

Many messengers were sent before prophet muhammad saws and message of all messengers was same

Verily, those who disbelieve in Allâh and His Messengers and wish to make distinction between Allâh and His Messengers (by believing in Allâh and disbelieving in His Messengers) saying, “We believe in some but reject others,” and wish to adopt a way in between. (An-Nisa 4:150)

“Then We sent Our Messengers in succession, every time there came to a nation their Messenger, they denied him, so We made them follow one another (to destruction), and We made them as Ahadeeth (the true stories for mankind to learn a lesson from them). So away with a people who believe not”

[al-Mu’minoon 23:44]

“Verily! We have sent you with the truth, a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner. And there never was a nation but a warner had passed among them”

[Faatir 35:24]. )

Now coming to your question of why Prophet saws had more wives - then it is the will of God - having multiple wives or 1 wife is not the core concept of Islam. The core concept is Islamic monotheism and Islam does not force its followers to marry more than one - a person can remain a good Muslim even having 1 wife. So I think many non-muslims and students of islam focus lot of energy on things which are not as important.

All the wives of prophet saws loved respected and honored him and they were happy. The society didn’t have any problem, the wives didn’t have problem, the relatives of the wives didn’t have any problem even the enemies of Islam at that time didn’t have any problem - so why are you having problem ?

Lastly regarding Christianity having vast numbers - then it is mentioned in Islam that righteous people are generally very few in number. (Just because a person has Muslim name does not mean he is righteous).