I am a young Muslim man who has an uncle married to two women, but the third wife has complete control over him to the extent that he does not have full conjugal relations with the other wives.

The questioner : This is a listener to the program from Egypt. He opened this address with the phrase "Whoever opens the address, Allah opens for him". He says that he is a young Muslim man who has an uncle married to two women, but the third wife, he says, has complete control over him to the extent

The Shaykh : The third one, or the second one?

The questioner : The third one, to the extent that he did not have full conjugal relations with the other wives. He says we advised him, but it did not help. He tells us that he offered them divorce, but they refused, and they are now under his guardianship. He says he is innocent of their guardianship. What is the ruling of the Shari'ah in this matter? May you be rewarded?

The Shaykh : It is obligatory for a man who has multiple wives to be just among them to the extent he is able, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) This is a severe warning for whoever does not be just among the wives. However, justice is obligatory in what a person is able to be just in, as for what he is not able to be just in, such as love, that is left to Allah, and a person is not burdened with it, because Allah does not burden a soul except with what it can bear. If a person is unable to be just among the wives in the division that was customarily possible to be just in, and he gives them the choice between remaining without division and divorce, and they choose to remain without division, then he has that right, because the matter is up to them, and they chose to remain without division. For this reason, Sawdah bint Zamah gave her day to 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with them both), so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would divide 'A'ishah's day and Sawdah's day. If the husband sees that the remaining wives desire to have their turn with him and establish justice, and that is difficult for him, then he may divorce them if they do not choose to remain with him in the manner he wants, because the matter of divorce is up to the husband, as Allah made it so for him, not for the woman. Yes.