Question 16: Wisdom behind Prophet Muhammad’s practice of polygyny.
Answer: The Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) married to several wives following his migration to Al-Madeenah. His practice of polygyny was not something novel, as polygyny was widely practiced by all people and nations. Some societies allowed unlimited number of wives until some men had more than seven hundred wives, not including slave women. Some Arabs were reported to have taken in marriage more than ten wives. When Ghaylan ibn Salamah Al-Thaqafee embraced Islaam, he was married to ten wives. The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed him, saying: Choose four of them (and divorce the rest).
Polygamy was also practiced by the ancient Greeks in Athens, China, Babylonia, Assyria, ancient Egypt, and the Jews were also polygamous. Prophet Sulaymaan (Solomon, peace be upon him) had seven hundred free women as wives and three hundred slave women. Al-Bukhaaree related in his Saheeh (authentic) Book of Hadeeth...read more here.