If a wife leaves her home, may the husband spend the night with the other wife for the duration of her absence?
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The questioner: A man is married to two wives. One of them got angry and went to her father's house. In this situation, does he spend the night in her house where no one is, or does he go to the second wife's house?
The Shaykh: How did you understand that?The questioner: A man married two wives.
The Shaykh: Did he marry one wife and then another, or are they in a single contract?The questioner: No, he is married to two wives.
The Shaykh: I mean, did he marry the first one and then marry another? Did the second one get angry, or the first?The questioner: The first one, who got angry and went to her house, stayed there for a month. Now, in this situation, he was sleeping in the mosque. When it was her turn, he would sleep in the mosque.
The Shaykh: He should not sleep in the mosque.
The questioner: Does he go to the new wife?The Shaykh: Yes, because the first wife is the one who dropped her right. She has no right to leave her husband's house simply because he married; for he did not do anything wrong, but rather did good. If a man is able with his wealth, able with his body, and able with his judgment, it is better for him to marry up to four if he can. If he is able with his body, meaning he is active and can fulfill the specific rights of two women, and able with his wealth to provide for both, and able with his judgment to be just between them, then let him marry. The more women there are, the better.Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: [The best of this Ummah is the one with the most women].
So the woman who gets angry and goes to her relatives when her husband marries another is the one who dropped her right to the share of nights. He remains with the second one all the nights, and whenever that woman wishes, she comes.
The Shaykh: How did you understand that?The questioner: A man married two wives.
The Shaykh: Did he marry one wife and then another, or are they in a single contract?The questioner: No, he is married to two wives.
The Shaykh: I mean, did he marry the first one and then marry another? Did the second one get angry, or the first?The questioner: The first one, who got angry and went to her house, stayed there for a month. Now, in this situation, he was sleeping in the mosque. When it was her turn, he would sleep in the mosque.
The Shaykh: He should not sleep in the mosque.
The questioner: Does he go to the new wife?The Shaykh: Yes, because the first wife is the one who dropped her right. She has no right to leave her husband's house simply because he married; for he did not do anything wrong, but rather did good. If a man is able with his wealth, able with his body, and able with his judgment, it is better for him to marry up to four if he can. If he is able with his body, meaning he is active and can fulfill the specific rights of two women, and able with his wealth to provide for both, and able with his judgment to be just between them, then let him marry. The more women there are, the better.Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: [The best of this Ummah is the one with the most women].
So the woman who gets angry and goes to her relatives when her husband marries another is the one who dropped her right to the share of nights. He remains with the second one all the nights, and whenever that woman wishes, she comes.