Question:
What is meant by “You can marry two, two; three, three; four, four women”?
Answer:
❀ The command of Allah Almighty is:
فَانْكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ مَثْنَى وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ
Marry women of your choice, two, three, or four at a time.
❀ Allama Ibn Battal, may Allah have mercy on him,
says:
Allama Ibn Qassar, may Allah have mercy on him, says it is not permissible for anyone to have more than four wives simultaneously in marriage. According to us, there is consensus on this. Some people, whose disagreement holds no weight, say that it is permissible to have nine wives simultaneously. Their argument is based on the noble verse: مثنى وثلاث ورباع, claiming that this number can be combined. Their proof is that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, had nine wives at the time of his passing. For us, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the best example. The correct group’s evidence is that the commentators agree that in the verse: مثنى وثلاث ورباع, the numbers indicate choice, not accumulation. If nine were intended, the brief word (nine) would not have been abandoned. Allah Almighty says: Marry nine women. However, Arabs do not use the word nine but instead use two, three, and four. Therefore, the hidden meaning of Allah’s command: مثنى وثلاث ورباع is two by two, three by three, four by four. This implies choice. As in this command of Allah:
أُولِي أَجْنِحَةٍ مَثْنَى وَثَلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ
Two by two, three by three, and four by four winged (angels). As for their claim that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, had nine wives at the time of his death and that we should follow his footsteps, we say that having more than four wives was specific to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
❀ Allama Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him,
says:
Know that the numbers two, three, and four do not prove that having nine wives is permissible, as some have said. These people are far from understanding the Book and Sunnah and have deviated from the methodology of the predecessors of the Ummah. They say that the letter “waw” is for plural, and they argue that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, had nine wives simultaneously in his marriage. This ignorant stance is held by the Rafidah and some literalists; they have turned the word “nine” into “two,” and similarly “three” and “four.” Some literalists have gone even further, permitting eighteen wives, arguing that these words mean repetition and that “waw” is for plural. They interpret “muthanna” (dual) as two by two, and similarly for three and four. All this is a result of ignorance of language and Sunnah and contradicts the consensus of the Ummah. Because there is no narration from any companion or follower that he had more than four wives simultaneously in marriage. As for the permissibility of nine wives for the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that was specific to him, as will be explained in Surah Al-Ahzab. As for their claim that “waw” is for plural, although this is sometimes used, Allah addressed the Arabs with the most eloquent language. Arabs do not say “two, three, and four” instead of “nine.” Similarly, Arabs express disapproval of a person who says: Give so-and-so four, six, and eight (dirhams) instead of eighteen. Actually, here “waw” is for substitution, meaning marry three instead of two, marry four instead of three. That is why “waw” is used for conjunction, not for plural.
❀ Hafiz Baghawee, may Allah have mercy on him,
says:
اتفقت الامة على ان الحر يجوز له ان ينكح اربع حرائر
There is consensus of the Ummah that it is permissible for a free Muslim man to marry up to four free women simultaneously.
❀ Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him,
says:
مجمع عليه بين العلماء
There is consensus among the scholars on this (that a Muslim can have a maximum of four wives).
Islam does not permit having more than four wives at all. Therefore, if a disbeliever embraces Islam and has more than four wives, he should keep the four he prefers and leave the rest.
This is the madhhab of Imam Malik, Imam Shafi’i, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on them.
❀ Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates:
Sayyiduna Ghailan ibn Salamah Thaqafi, may Allah be pleased with him, became Muslim and had ten wives in his marriage. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, ordered him to keep only four of them.
❀ Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
رجال إسناده ثقات
All narrators in its chain are trustworthy.
