Islamic Studies Marriage & Family Relationships

Adultery: Even Bugs Don’t Like It!

By Natalie Angier

Originally published in the New York Times

Commonplace though adultery may be, and as avidly as animals engage in it when given the opportunity, nobody seems to approve of it in others, and humans are hardly the only species that will rise up in outrage against wantonness real or perceived. Most female baboons have lost half an ear here, a swatch of pelt there, to the jealous fury of their much larger and toothier mates. Among scarab beetles, males and females generally pair up to start a family, jointly gathering dung and rolling and patting it into the rich brood balls in which the female deposits her fertilized eggs. The male may on occasion try to attract an extra female or two — but he does so at his peril. In one experiment with postmatrimonial scarabs, the female beetle was kept tethered in the vicinity of her mate, who quickly seized the opportunity to pheromonally broadcast for fresh faces. Upon being released from bondage, the female dashed over and knocked the male flat on his back. “She’d roll him right into the ball of dung,” Dr. Barash said, “which seemed altogether appropriate. ”

 

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  • Haha subhanallah that’s funny. It shows that men shouldn’t mess with their women unless they’re up for a beating!

    But more importantly it shows that if even animals expect each other to refrain from adultery, then what about humans, the creation which Allah has called the best of all creations. We should be on a much higher level of respect with our spouses and those we care for.

  • Haha subhanallah that’s funny. It shows that men shouldn’t mess with their women unless they’re up for a beating!

    But more importantly it shows that if even animals expect each other to refrain from adultery, then what about humans, the creation which Allah has called the best of all creations. We should be on a much higher level of respect with our spouses and those we care for.

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