Adultery: Its Prevalence and Destructive Effects on Society (Part Four)
Women among the Greeks:
The Greeks viewed women as commodities and at times even offered them for sale in markets. They considered women to be impure and demonic beings and therefore deprived them of human rights. The Greeks believed that disasters and misfortunes in war were due to the anger of their gods. Hence, during times of calamity or defeat, they would slaughter young girls as sacrifices at the feet of their idols, seeking refuge with them in this way.
As is well known, Greek philosophy and wisdom—in neither Athens nor many other places—ever opposed prostitution or immoral acts. They did not object to the establishment of special schools for prostitutes, where they were trained in debauchery and music.
Throughout much of Greek history, women were seen as impure and associated with evil deeds. In some periods, women were silenced, forbidden to speak without permission from a male guardian, and sometimes even denied the right to eat meat.
Even the great Greek philosopher Socrates said: “The greatest source of misery and destruction in the world is the existence of woman. She is like a poisonous and venomous tree with a beautiful and pleasing appearance, but when birds eat from it, they instantly die.”
Another Greek figure said: “We can treat burns and snake bites, but there is no remedy for a bad-tempered woman.”
Women among the Romans:
The status of women among the Romans was no better than among the Greeks—indeed, the Roman view was more disgraceful and worse. The Romans believed that woman was a tool of deception, trickery, and corruption, and that Satan used her to fulfill his goals. They viewed women with scorn and contempt.
Roman history reports that a council was held to discuss the status of women, which resulted in the following resolutions:
A woman is a being devoid of a human soul and therefore cannot attain eternal life.
A woman must not eat meat, laugh, or speak.
A woman is impure.
She must spend her entire life serving her husband and the idols.
Women among the Iranians:
Women in the Iranian civilization were no better off than in other contemporary civilizations—rather, they were worse off. Sexual relations between men and women were notably disordered.
Mazdak, during the Persian Empire, ruled in favor of the communal ownership of women among men. Polygamy without any limit or regulation was permitted, and marriage with close relatives (such as mothers, daughters, and sisters)—one of the most shameless forms of union in the world—was considered legal.
In a historical document known as “The Letter of Tansar”, the situation at the time of Mazdak’s call is described as follows: “The foundations of modesty and honor were uprooted, immorality became widespread. People emerged who knew nothing of dignity or virtuous conduct. They cared not for the fate of the nation, had no job or occupation, and were highly skilled in slander, corruption, lying, and defamation—using these actions as a means of livelihood and attaining wealth and status.”
Women in the Arabian Peninsula:
Adultery was not uncommon in pre-Islamic Arab society and was not severely condemned. One of their prevailing customs was that men would often have mistresses outside the bounds of marriage, and likewise, women had male companions. In some cases, women were even forced into prostitution.
Abdullah ibn Abbas said: “In the time of ignorance, the Arabs would force their female slaves into prostitution for income.”
Hazrat Ayesha (the mother of the Believers) said: “In the time of ignorance, there were four types of marriage:
1. The type of marriage that is practiced today.
2. Nikah istibda‘: A man would tell his wife, after her menstrual cycle ends, to go to a certain man and have intercourse with him. He would not touch her until she became pregnant from the other man. The goal was to produce a child of noble lineage.
3. A group of less than ten men would take turns having relations with a woman. When she became pregnant and gave birth, she would summon them and choose one of them, whom she liked most, and declare him the father. He could not deny it, and none of the others could contest it.
4. There were women who placed specific flags on their homes, signaling that they were openly accessible. These were professional prostitutes. If one of them had a child, the men who had been with her would gather, and the child would be attributed to one of them through resemblance identified by specialists. No objections were permitted.”
After explaining these forms of pre-Islamic marriage, Ayesha said: “When Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent as a Prophet, he abolished all these forms of marriage except for the one we practice today.”
In a society where a man would willingly send his wife to sleep with others just to obtain a desirable lineage—completely disregarding her feelings—we can infer how deep that society had sunk into disgrace and humiliation, and how severely it wronged women and their dignity.
Men believed they had bought their wives in exchange for a dowry and bore no responsibility toward them. That is why, after a man’s death, his wife was considered part of his inheritance and belonged to his heirs.
This was the sorrowful condition of women in past religions and nations. Now, let us examine the situation of women in today’s so-called civilized and advanced countries.
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