ONE HADITH A DAY

Whoever has two wives and is inclined to one of them will come on the Day of Judgment with his side inclined

Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasā’i, Ibn Mājah, and Ahmad · Authentic

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ امْرَأَتَانِ فَمَالَ إِلَى إِحْدَاهُمَا، جَاءَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَشِقُّهُ مَائِلٌ».

“Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever has two wives and is inclined to one of them will come on the Day of Judgment with his side inclined."”

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that whoever has more than one wife and does not maintain justice between them as much as possible, by providing equal treatment in terms of financial support, housing, clothing, and overnight stay, half of his body will be hanging down as a punishment for him on the Day of Judgment. Such inclination is a punishment for his injustice, reflecting his unfair treatment.

Benefits

• A man must divide his time between his wives, whether they are two or more. It is prohibited for him to be more inclined to one of them than the other in terms of what is within his ability of the financial maintenance, overnight stay, courtesy, etc.
• Equality is required when it comes to the division of time and other things that a person can control. However, love and emotional inclination, which are beyond one's control, are not included in the Hadīth. This is what is meant by Allah's statement: {You will never be able to maintain absolute justice between your wives, no matter how keen you are.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 129]
• The recompense always suits the deed; hence, when a man shows inclination in this world to one wife more than the other, he will come on the Day of Judgment with one of his sides hanging down.
• The importance of upholding the rights of others and the fact that they are not overlooked or pardoned as they are based on disputation and investigation.
• It is recommended to have only one wife if the person fears the inability to treat his wives fairly to avoid being negligent in the religion. Allah Almighty says: {But if you fear that you may not maintain justice, then marry only one} [Surat an-Nisā’: 3].

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