Lynx
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I've explained in that article that a nation who faces war, their women will go through either of these 3 circumstances;
1 - Imprisonment - because her people were at war with the Victor. (she will most likely be raped in prison, and this happens even in the modern world. [search Abu Ghraib prison if in doubt.])
2 - Exhile - because the defeated peoples property has all been taken by the enemy. (so she will have to run to another land, where she will probably also face harm and probably rape. And she will not have a male provider. [if in doubt - study the effects of the Iraq war on Muslim women. (many have had to become prostitutes because their men have been killed).])
3 - Being a Concubine - this is the best solution. She has a Believing male provider, she has similar rights to a wife. She learns about Islam from the Muslims. She soon earns her freedom [see Um al Walad]. And her husband may even; teach her, free her and marry her (since that is recommended in the Qur'an and Ahadith [see surah Nur 24:32)
And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty, and Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing. [Nur 24:32]
We see that 4 wives maximum will not give protection to all women whose people face defeat in war. Rather, there needs to be no limit in order for these women to have one Provider who fulfills her rights.
This is why - the Ameer [Leader] will distribute the women (keeping in mind their status before they were caught - so a noble woman will be given to a noble man i.e. Safiyyah bint Huyayy was given to Allah's Messenger because she was of a noble lineage). So that the woman has one guardian who can lookafter her and give her her rights (with food, clothing, shelter, and intimate rights etc.)
This is the fairest and purest Practical solution.
Allah knows best.
Hi,
It's also possible to have slaves that are not concubines, which will still confer the same advantages that you have outlined without the moral drawbacks. Of course, IMO, the real reason this practice was allowed is because the army needs to be kept happy.