𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 (536)

The Prophet ﷺ did not allow ʿAli (may Allāh be pleased with him) to take a second wife! This narration is frequently cited whenever the topic of polygyny arises. The incident itself is authentic; however, important context is often omitted. Thus, the question that arises: How do we reconcile between the clear legality of polygyny in Islam and the Prophet ﷺ prohibiting ʿAli ibn Abī Ṭālib from marrying a second wife alongside his daughter Fāṭimah? The answer is that this ruling was specific to the Prophet ﷺ himself. Any action that would harm or upset him ﷺ was impermissible. Since Fāṭimah was a part of him, her harm was his harm, and her distress was his distress. As the scholars explain, this functioned as a customary condition—something understood without needing to be explicitly stated—because it was universally known that harming the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ in any way was not allowed. Thus, when the Prophet ﷺ was informed that ʿAli intended to marry again, he addressed the matter publicly. At that time, the woman ʿAli sought to marry was the daughter of Abu Jahl, a staunch enemy of Islam. How could the daughter of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ share a husband with the daughter of one who so fiercely opposed Allāh and His Messenger? Moreover, Fāṭimah was no ordinary woman; she was the daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and one of the greatest woman to walk the face of the earth. Could true equality realistically be maintained when one wife held such a unique and unparalleled status? Allāh knows best. This may be among the hidden wisdoms behind the Prophet’s ﷺ refusal. In that same address, the Prophet ﷺ praised his other son-in-law, Abū Al-ʿĀṣ ibn Ar-Rabīʿ, who was married to his daughter Zaynab, saying: “Whenever he spoke to me, he spoke the truth, and whenever he promised me, he fulfilled his promise.” The Prophet ﷺ then said: «إِنَّ فَاطِمَةَ بَضْعَةٌ مِنِّي، يُرِيبُنِي مَا رَابَهَا، وَيُؤْذِينِي مَا آذَاهَا» “Indeed, Fāṭimah is a part of me; what harms her harms me, and what upsets her upsets me.” He then gave ʿAli the choice: if he wished to marry another woman, he could do so only after divorcing Fāṭimah. ʿAli chose to remain married to her. This incident, therefore, does not negate the permissibility of polygyny. Rather, it establishes that marrying another wife in addition to the daughter of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ was prohibited due to the harm it would cause the Prophet ﷺ himself. To universalise this ruling and apply it to all cases of polygyny would be incorrect. Many of the Sahabah practiced polygyny, as did ʿAli himself later in his life, after the death of Fāṭimah. ____ NOTE: The aforementioned prohibition did not apply to concubines. فبعث إِلَيْنَا عَلِيًّا وَفِي السَّبْيِ وَصِيفَةٌ هِيَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ السَّبْيِ فَخَمَّسَ وَقَسَمَ فَخَرَجَ رَأْسُهُ مُغَطًّى He sent Ali to us and among the prisoners was a maid-servant (wasifah), who was the best of the prisoners. He set aside a fifth, distributed the rest, and he came out to us with his head dripping wet (from a ritual bath). They said, “O Abu Al-Hasan, what is this?” Ali said: أَلَمْ تَرَوْا إِلَى الْوَصِيفَةِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ فِي السَّبْيِ فَإِنِّي قَسَمْتُ وَخَمَّسْتُ فَصَارَتْ فِي الْخُمُسِ ثُمَّ صَارَتْ فِي أَهْلِ بَيْتِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثُمَّ صَارَتْ فِي آلِ عَلِيٍّ وَوَقَعْتُ بِهَا Have you not seen the maid-servant among the prisoners? Indeed, I have divided the spoils and set aside a fifth. She became part of the fifth, then she became part of the household of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then she became part of the family of ’Ali, and I have consummated it with her. Source: Musnad Ah‌mad 22458, Grade: Hasan Narrated Buraidah: The Prophet (ﷺ) sent ’Ali to Khalid to bring the Khumus (of the booty) and I hated ’Ali, and ’Ali had taken a bath (after intimacy with a slave-girl from the Khumus)...[Al-Bukhari 4350]