Four Wife In Islam in Quran and Hadith:

Four Wife In Islam in Quran and Hadith:

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Men have the right to keep more than one wife; wife doesn’t have the right to do so.

وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلاَّ تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَى فَانكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ مَثْنَى وَثُلاثَ وَرُبَاعَ فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلاَّ تَعْدِلُوا فَوَاحِدَةً أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَلاَّ تَعُولُوا

“And if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry women of your choice, two or three or four, but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one or that your right hands possess. That is nearer to prevent you from doing injustice.”

(Aayah No. 3, Surah An-Nisa’, Chapter No. 4, Holy Qur’an).
Thus, it is allowed for men to have four wives at a time. But the condition is that one has to deal with all his wives with equality in all respects, otherwise he should not marry more than one.
If we examine the Quranic evidence we find the concession given in the following verse:

What is immediately noticeable from the above words is that the word "if" (inn in Arabic) at the beginning of the verse is a conditional word. What follows after the word "if" is thus a condition that must be met in order for what comes after it to be possible.

This means that if a man is not supporting any orphans nor being entrusted to protect the possessions of orphans, then it is not lawful for him to marry more than one wife. If a man is supporting orphans or acting as a guardian to them, then taking a second wife for the purpose of looking after the orphans and giving them a mother figure would be allowed.

In verse 4:2 God speaks of orphans, protecting their money, and warning against consuming their money unjustly. God is speaking to the men who are entrusted with the protection of orphans and their money. If a man fears that he cannot perform the duty as a guardian to the orphans and their money on his own, and in a just manner, then he is permitted to marry the woman of his choice to bring a motherly figure who would support the man in the raising of the orphans. God allows 2, 3 and 4 (depending on the number of orphans the man is taking care of).

It must be stated here that this concession is allowed purely for the benefit of the orphans and not to allow men a varied sexual life (as those hypocrites claim)!

We also note the very important words in 4:3:
“If you fear you will not be fair, then only one, or what your right hand possesses.”
These words must be read in conjunction with the following Quranic words:
“You will not be able to treat all women equally even if you wish to do so.” 4:129

If we combine the content of 4:3 and 4:129 it becomes obvious that God is very clearly discouraging more than one wife. God only allows this action under very strict conditions and even when these conditions are satisfied, God still advises no more than one.
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 5, Number 268:
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Narrated by Qatada
Anas bin Malik said, "The Prophet used to have sexual intercourse with all his wives one after the other during the day and night and they were eleven in number." I asked Anas, "Had the Prophet the strength for it?" Anas replied, "We used to say that the Prophet was given the strength of thirty (men)." And Sa'id said on the authority of Qatada that Anas had told him about nine wives only (not eleven).

One point I wish to clarify in this matter. Women are of the opinion that their husband has to seek their permission for marrying another lady. This is a wrong concept. There is no requirement for a man to take permission from his existing wife in case he wishes to marry someone else. However, it is recommended that he consults with the existing wife (or wives). But if he does not consult, there is no sin on him. Therefore, women should remember that they cannot stop their husbands from a thing for which Allah has given them the permission. On the other hand, using this permission for wrong intentions shall be sinful on husband’s part and Allah will punish him accordingly.