Are We Allowed To Have Four Wives?

Most of the people confuse their selves with the concept of four wives in Islam. It’s a misunderstanding and a very false concept to keep four wives at a time. Quran instructs us that if someone wants to have another wife he has to divorce her first wife first according to rules described in Quran.

If you intend to marry another woman in place of your present wife and you have given the latter a whole treasure as dower you should not take back even a portion of it. You should not slander her or accuse her of open wrong in order to compel her to surrender a part of her dower. How can you do that when your wives have taken a solemn covenant from you, and you also have enjoyed marital relations with each other? (Qur’an 4:20)

But this doesn’t mean that if someone wants to marry he’ll divorce his present wife and marry another just for sex urge or some other reasons. Divorce is not allowed until the relationship reach to peak where husband and wife cannot live with each other.
Four wives are allowed under some conditions. Like at the end of a war of some disaster most of the women and children become homeless and there’s no way to solve their living and economical conditions. In such a situation Islam allows you to marry these women without divorcing your present wife but on two conditions:

- He will treat all his wives equally
- He must be economically strong enough to take care of the family.

But Quran clearly tells you that if you are not quite certain about these two conditions then the marriage is not accepted and you should remain with your current wife.

Superiority of Intellectual People

“The beautiful dress does not reflect beauty. The beauty is the beauty of knowledge and morals. The one whose father dies is not an orphan. The real orphan is he who brings bad name to his tribe.” Hazrat Ali.

What is meant by bringing bad name to the tribe? Islam lays a concept of equality of mankind but the people who have knowledge and who are educated are superior to others. Ignorant minds are the worst out of mankind. Islamic Schools are teaching the Muslims to how to uplift their souls and raise there honor in the eyes of Allah.

Muslims Learn Quran and make them self spiritually strong. The Quran says:

“Are the educated and uneducated equal?” 39:9

If we read what Allah says about the superiority of Adam in the Quran we would find out that it was because of the knowledge that Allah gave him. Following what Allah says about Adam in surah a Bakara:

He taught Adam all the names then presented them to the angels, saying, "Give me the names of these, if you are right." They said, "Be You glorified, we have no knowledge, except that which You have taught us. You are the Omniscient, Most Wise." He said, "O Adam, tell them their names." When he told them their names, He said, "Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of the heavens and the earth? I know what you declare, and what you conceal." When we said to the angels, "Fall prostrate before Adam," they fell prostrate, except Satan; he refused, was too arrogant, and a disbeliever. (2:30-33).

The importance of education and knowledge is evident from the first verse of Quran in surah e Alaq.

“Read in the name of thy Lord who created”.

There is another verse of the Holy Quran asking the Prophet (P.B.U.H) to pray:

“Lord increase my knowledge”.

You can increase your knowledge by joining Online Quran.