A prominent Islamic Scholar and former president of the Gambia Supreme Islamic Council, Alhagie Ahmed Cherno Banding Drammeh, has said that Muslim men who marry more than four wives should be stoned to death.

The renowned preacher made this pronouncement to The Point yesterday following a media report that a man in Nigeria’s Niger State, known as Mr Bello Abubakar, is married with 86 wives and 170 children.

Alhagie Banding expressed his support on the verdict given by Nigeria’s Islamic Authority Jamatu Nasril Islam (JNI) which told Mr Abubakar to choose only four and repent or else he will face a death sentence.

Talking to the media, Mr Abubakar challenged Muslim scholars, saying there is no punishment stated in Quran for having more than four wives but however advised other men not to follow his example and marry 86 women.

Reacting to the above comments, Alhagie Banding stressed that during the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) there existed a man who married 10 wives but the Holy Prophet asked him to choose only four and divorce the remaining six as prescribed by the Sharia.

He questioned the justification of Mr Bello’s act, noting that something that the Prophet condemned should be food for thought for any Muslim.

In a rather surprising move, Alhagie Banding refuted Mr Bello’s coments, stressing that his punishment is to be stoned to death only because he has gone beyond the Islamic law (Sharia).

He noted that it was only during slavery period that men married more than four wives. “Even if one has the wealth and the ability to marry one thousand women the Sharia is saying don’t go beyond four. Sharia is the supreme law of Islam if it has forbidden something why should one question that?” he said.