What is the obligatory justice required of a man who has multiple wives?

The questioner : A man is married to two women, and he must be just between them. What is the justice obligatory upon him? Is it in financial maintenance, housing in the home, love, or intercourse? Please note that the first wife has children, while the second has no children.

The Shaykh : Everything in which justice can be achieved is obligatory, except for what pertains to the heart, for justice is not possible in that. Love is a matter that a person does not control; it may be imposed upon him. However, justice in lodging, housing, clothing, and financial maintenance is possible, and this is the justice mentioned in the Noble Qur'an as a condition for one who wishes to marry more than one woman, up to the limit of four. This is the answer. There is a hadith I mention to draw attention to the fact that its meaning is correct, but its chain of narration is not authentic. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to divide between his wives, as is well known, and he would supplicate to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, saying: What was it that he did not control? His answer, when he was asked, "Who is the most beloved of people to you, O Messenger of Allah?" was: They said, "And among the men?" He said: This is an explicit text from him that he loved Aisha more than Umm Salama, more than Zaynab, and more than all the other wives of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). But did this love cause the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to lean toward injustice or oppression against one of them at the expense of the one he loved more? The answer is no. This is how the Muslim is.

The questioner : I mean, can he buy a jilbab for this one and a jilbab for the other, and shoes for this one and shoes for the other? It is possible that this one has two pairs of shoes and that one has none. Can he buy for this one or for that one?

The Shaykh : I mean, be patient a little. For example, he married a wife ten years ago. Then, after ten years, he married a second one. During those ten years, he bought her twenty... This is when he married the second one, he bought her... just as he bought for the first one. But now, he is not required to buy for the first one, who is completing twenty-one, and if he buys for the second one after a year, it will also become number twenty-one. No.

The questioner : I mean, the matter of necessity.

The Shaykh : No, it is a pressing need. For example, if he bought a car for this one and did not buy a car for that one, and he is able to buy a car for her, he must buy a car for her. But it is not the case that when he bought a car for the second one, he also buys a second car for the first one. Where is the justice here? This would be injustice. Justice is a relative matter that varies from time to time and from woman to woman. For example, the first wife might be thin, and her dress might cost twenty dinars, while this one is fat, heavy, and large, and so on, and it costs him twice as much. It is not the case that that one complains, saying, "Mine costs forty and mine costs twenty, so give me the difference." No. And so on. This one eats twice as much as that one.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with all good.

The Shaykh : And Glory be to You, O Allah, with Your praise. I bear witness that there is no deity but You. I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You.