❖ Extracted from Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulām Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri ❖
✿ Can a Father-in-Law Forbid His Son-in-Law From a Second Marriage? ✿
The Ruling:
A man has the Sharʿī (Islamic) right to marry more than once, and no individual—whether a father-in-law, family member, or civil authority—has the right to prohibit him from doing so. This permission comes directly from Allah.
Clear Quranic Evidence:
❀ Allah ﷻ says:
﴿فَانكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُم مِّنَ النِّسَاءِ مَثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ...﴾
“Then marry those that please you of women, two or three or four. But if you fear that you will not deal justly, then [marry only] one...”
Sūrah al-Nisāʾ (4:3)◈ Key Points:
① Polygyny (up to four wives) is a divinely sanctioned right in Islam.
② No one, including in-laws, can override or restrict this right.
③ Justice between wives is a condition for multiple marriages.
④ If justice cannot be ensured, then only one marriage is allowed.
