What Islam says about having many wives

Sheikh Abdu Hakim Sekimpi, a Muslim scholar and religious leader says that there are other conditions that one has to fulfil before they can marry another wife.

Kampala

Polygamy as a practice of having more than one spouse at a time is catered for in the Islamic faith. Sheikh Hassan Kirya expounds on the teachings of Islam that allows a man to marry as many as four wives.

“Islam teaches us everything about all aspects of life. It is a complete way of life even on that side of marriage; it caters for anything and everything one might want to talk about it. Islam taught us how to manage families, how to marry, who is supposed to be married,” Kirya explains.

However, he cautions that it is not mandatory for a Muslim to marry four wives.

“Islam permitted that a Muslim can marry up to four wives but it is not a must that someone should marry four. You’re permitted to marry the first and when you find you’re capable of fulfilling other obligations then you’re free to get a second wife, third and fourth,” Sheik Kirya further highlighted.

Sheikh Abdu Hakim Sekimpi, a Muslim scholar and religious leader adds that there are other conditions that one has to fulfil before they can marry another wife.

“A husband should be in position to support, care and love his wife and he decides to take on another, then he should be able to love her as much and support her. He should be in position to build her shelter, provide for her necessities like food, medication among other amenities,” Sheikh Sekimpi further explains.

Economic stability
Sheikh Kirya says; “You must be working with a steady income in order to feed the family and then sexually you must be capable and able to satisfy her or them.”

"Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one." [Al-Qur'an 4:3], the Quran expounds to the matter. But as the two Islamic leaders agree, there are circumstances that could warrant that a man gets another or other wives.

“This could be in a case where a woman is barren and unable to bear children or if a man desires that they have a wife of given qualities that their first might not have, they can go ahead and marry another to satisfy that desire (in conformity to the other requirements),” Sheikh Kirya adds.