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Should i take a Second Wife?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Askimam.org

Mufti Saab Assalamu Alaikum

I have a question regarding mutliple marriage. I am a practising muslim and with tawfiq of Allah SWT I also went in the path of Allah for 4 months in 2016. I always try to maintain a good relation with ulama hajrat. In my personal life I am married and I have two sons. My current age is 37 years and I am passing 10 years of my conjugal life. Recently I started thinking about second marriage. I had talked to my monther, brother and wife. They all disagreed and discouraged me as this custom is seen as a very bad in our society. I am a software engineer and earn quite handsome salary to maintain even four families with the bounty of almight Allah SWT.  I know I have the ability to do equality in wives. Please suggest me whether I should struggle to have asecond wife or I should stop thinking second marriage due to social custom. 

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

In principle, polygamy is permissible in Islam. One may marry up to four women at once if one is able to maintain equality between his two wives or among his three or four wives.[1] However, one should consider his situation before making such a decision. You state that you have been married for ten years. You have two children. Consider your wife’s feelings in this matter.

Furthermore, a second marriage comes with great challenges. Your feeling of being able to maintain equality is easier said than done. In a second marriage, there are more issues than just the issue of equality. If you have a genuine need to remarry, then you should consider all angles before making a decision. You should also make istikhara.

If you are experiencing some challenges in this marriage, there is no guarantee that you will not experience similar or more challenges in another marriage. That is apart from the attitude of your community towards the second marriage.

And Allah Ta‘ālā Knows Best.

Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

_____


[1]

بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع (٢/٣٣٢)

ومنها، وجوب العدل بين النساء في حقوقهن

This answer was collected from Askimam.org, which is operated under the supervision of Mufti Ebrahim Desai from South Africa.

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