"The reasons of Mahomed (on whom be the blessing of God)," said the Meerzâ, calmly, "are inscrutable; but as far as his acts can be judged by erring mortals, or considered otherwise than as proceeding from Divine authority, we may believe that in permitting polygamy, he only followed the custom of the Jews; in whose Prophet, Moses, you Christians, as well as we Musselmans, believe. The limitation to four legitimate wives was intended as a check, no doubt, upon those habits of sensual indulgence, into which not only the affluent of the Jews, but the Pagan Arabs, had fallen; and it was the enormity of their vices which led our Prophet to denounce such severe punishment now and hereafter upon those who continued to follow wicked courses.
"There is no doubt," said Aga Meer, "that the custom to which you have alluded, of very early marriages, and the effects of climate and sedentary habits, bring on a premature old age in many of our females. But after all, the number who take advantage of the license to have a plurality of wives is not near so great as you imagine. Take a thousand Persians and you will not find ten with more than two wives, and not thirty with more than one. Who can afford it? The expense of a marriage, the maintenance of females, and, above all, the dower which is required, and which remaining at the lady's sole disposal, is independent of that inheritance to which she and her children are entitled from the remainder of the husband's property, are insuperable objections.
"You speak," said he, addressing himself to me, "as if your pity were limited to our ladies; if you were more intimately acquainted with the condition of us husbands, we should have some share of your sympathy. Jaffier Ali has already explained to you some of the rights and privileges of our ladies, which are usually supported by a host of relations, but he has not enumerated one half. We may, it is true, escape from one wife by marrying another; but if we are not rich, such a proceeding involves the giving up most of our comforts in life. What I have said applies to men of moderate means; and as to the great mass of the population who live by their labour, few can support two wives. If you have any doubts respecting the equality of condition of their partners, do but listen now and then near their houses, and you will hear a shrill and sharp voice rating the supposed lord and master in a manner which will instantly relieve your mind from any anxiety you may now feel for the rights of the softer sex in Persia."
This sally of the good Meer produced the more mirth, from its being unusual for him to depart from his gravity. But resuming his serious air, he continued; "Mahomedan women have never real power until they have offspring. Mâder, or the mother, is, from the prince to the peasant, the chief object of affection and respect. On her not only domestic concerns, but the making of marriages usually depends. The care and indulgence she bestows upon her children is often in strong contrast to the neglect and harshness of the father, which deepens the impression of gratitude they entertain for her during life. This sentiment is so general, that nothing causes such complete loss of character as want of love and duty towards a mother.
"Have you studied our law," said Meerzâ Aga Meer to me, "particularly that part of it which relates to property and inheritance?" I confesssed I had not given the subject that attention it merited. "I thought so," said the Meer, "or you would not have judged so lightly of the condition of our females."
"It is," said the Meer, "the possession of property, and the right of inheriting and using it, which gives respect and consequence to persons with others as well as themselves. Now you will find, both by the Koran, which is the fountain of our law, and by the commentaries, which are streams from that sacred source, that females have equal rights with males to use property; and their claim to inheritance, though somewhat smaller, as is the case in other countries, is on a scale that shows the light in which they are held by our laws and institutions."
The Meerzâ supported his argument by more quotations from the book of Mahomed, from traditions, and commentaries by learned doctors, than I shall repeat. The sum of it, however, was to this effect, that a woman who has property of her own, which includes her dower, has full command of it during her life. At her death the husband has half if there are no children, and a fourth if there are. The remainder is divided among them equally, females having the same share as males.
When the husband dies, his wife or wives (legally married) inherit one fourth of his property, if there are no children; if there are, the wife or wives have only one eighth: but this is always independent of the dower or settlement made at the period of marriage.