To what extent did the treatment of women under Islam help to prop up the war machine of past caliphs?

If men are allowed to marry up to four women, this would likely lead to an unusually high number of single men with little chance of ever being married. Some people credit this with the high incidence of extremism among some modern Muslims. Modern Muslims claim that these men are simply 'unsuitable marriage material', though they would obviously serve other purposes. However, under a functioning caliphate at war, obtaining concubines through conquest would help to relieve this shortfall, both by killing off some of the men and bringing in sex slaves. Did the policies of polygamy and concubines help to raise armies of eager young men and increase the clamour for war?

Islam also limited people's options for obtaining 'regular' slaves to war. Did this add another economic incentive for war?

Does the structure of an Islamic society make it function far better while it expands through war than while it contracts or remains stagnant?

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Actually no I incorporated that into the theory, in that war helps balance it out.

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Good for them. I think it was Abu, or maybe malik, who said that so many men today are not deserving of a wife, so it is OK to marry a few if you are deserving.