[For Illustration Only]
Punishment for Unequal Treatment of Two Wives;
In Islam, a man with multiple wives is required to treat them equally in terms of material needs like food, clothing, and shelter. The hadith you quoted from Tirmidhi, related by Abu Huraira, describes the severe spiritual consequence for failing to do so: the man "will be such that half portion of his body will be in a state of paralysis" on the Day of Judgment [1, 2].
This emphasis on equity highlights the importance of justice in a polygamous marriage under Islamic law. While complete equality in emotional aspects may be impossible, the legal and moral requirement for equal treatment in tangible matters remains a strict obligation [1].
For more context on Islamic teachings and hadiths, you can consult reputable Islamic resources and scholars. The hadith states: "A person who has two wives and he does not treat them on an equal footing and refrains from dealing equitably and justly with both of them, on the Day of Doom the condition of this man 'will be such that half a portion of his body will be in a state of paralysis." This serves as a strong religious admonition emphasising the gravity of equitable treatment within a polygamous marriage.
Sharia law emphasises that while perfect emotional equality is difficult to achieve, visible and material aspects of marriage must be distributed fairly. Failure to do so is considered a significant sin, punishable in the afterlife as described in the prophetic tradition.
Saiyidina Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) observed: ‘A person who has two wives and he does not treat them on an equal footing and refrains from dealing equitably and justly with both of them, on the Day of Doom the condition of this man ‘will be such that half portion of his body will be in a state of paralysis.
(Tirmidhi).
Praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah.
What is meant by this “leaning” is favouring in terms of actions; a man will not be taken to task for the inclination of his heart if he treats (his wives) equally in practical terms. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
وَلَن تَسْتَطِيعُوٓا۟ أَن تَعْدِلُوا۟ بَيْنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتُمْ ۖ فَلَا تَمِيلُوا۟ كُلَّ
ٱلْمَيْلِ فَتَذَرُوهَا كَٱلْمُعَلَّقَةِ ۚ وَإِن تُصْلِحُوا۟ وَتَتَّقُوا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًۭا
رَّحِيمًۭا ١٢٩
“You will never be able to maintain ˹emotional˺ justice between your wives—no matter how keen you are. So do not totally incline towards one, leaving the other in suspense.1 And if you do what is right and are mindful ˹of Allah˺, surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful." — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran”
[An-Nisa’ 4:129]
Al-Shaafe’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the opinion of the majority of Muslim scholars indicate that a man has to divide his days and nights between his wives [giving each a full day and night], and that he has to be fair in doing so. (al-Umm, 5/158). And he said: I do not know of any (scholarly) disagreement with the view that a man must share his time among his wives and do so fairly.
(al-Umm, 5/280).
Al-Baghawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: If a man has more than one wife, he has to treat them equally, if they are free [i.e., not slaves], whether they are Muslims or from among the People of the Book [i.e., Jewish or Christian]. If he does not treat them equally, then he has disobeyed Allaah and he has to make it up to the one whom he wronged. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever has two wives and leans towards (i.e. favours) one of them (over the other), will come on the Day of Resurrection with half of his body leaning.” However, there is some dispute concerning its isnaad.
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2/242; al-Tirmidhi, 3/447; al-Nasaa’i, 7/64; Ibn Maajah, 1/633; classed as saheeh by al-Haafiz in Buloogh al-Maraam, 3/310, and al-Albaani in Irwaa’ al-Ghaleel, 7/80).
What this means is that you will never be able to treat them equally in your heart, so do not incline too much towards one of them, i.e., do not make your actions follow your whims and desires.
(Sharh al-Sunnah, 9/150-151)
Ibn Hazam (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Treating co-wives equally is obligatory, most of all sharing one’s nights between them.
(al-Muhalla, 9/175)
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: He has to treat his wives fairly according to the consensus of the Muslims. In the four Sunans, it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever has two wives…” He has to be fair in his division of time between them. So if he stays with one of them for one night, or two or three, he should stay with the other for the same number of nights, and he should not give preference to one of them in his sharing of his time.
(Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 32/269)
Al-‘Ayni said, commenting on the hadith, “Whoever has two wives…”: It was said that what was meant was that half of his body would be leaning in a real sense, or that he would have no acceptable excuse for favouring one wife over the other. The apparent meaning is that this is in the real sense. This is indicated by the report of Abu Dawood, “with half of his body leaning.” The punishment fits the crime, because he did not treat them fairly or he deviated from what is right. Because of his being unfair and favouring one of them, his punishment is that he will come before the witnesses on the Day of Resurrection with one half of his body leaning.
(‘Umdat al-Qaari’, 20/199. See also al-Mabsoot, 5/217).
Al-Shawkaani also understood this to mean that it is obligatory (to treat co-wives fairly).
[See al-Sayl al-Jiwaar, 2/301; Nayl al-Awtaar, 6/216 ]
Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: We know of no dispute among the scholars concerning the fact that it is obligatory to treat co-wives equally when sharing one’s time between them. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “and live with them honourably”
[al-Nisaa’ 4:19], but favouring one of them is not honourable.
Al-Mughni, 8/138
This husband has to fear Allah and be fair in his division of his time. The wife has to tell him of the ruling of sharee’ah concerning what he is doing, and of the warning of mistreatment. She should remind him of Allah and the Hereafter, so that he will check himself and be fair in his division of time. This is better than separating, in sha Allah. And Allah knows best.
References:
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2/242; al-Tirmidhi, 3/447; al-Nasaa’i, 7/64; Ibn Maajah, 1/633; classed as saheeh by al-Haafiz in Buloogh al-Maraam, 3/310, and al-Albaani in Irwaa’ al-Ghaleel, 7/80).
(‘Umdat al-Qaari’, 20/199. See also al-Mabsoot, 5/217).
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