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What is the ruling of Islamic law regarding the first wife remaining with her husband while she rejects the second wife?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is not permissible for the first wife to give her husband the choice between divorcing her or divorcing her co-wife, and it is forbidden for her to ask for the divorce of her co-wife, based on the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "It is not lawful for a woman to ask for the divorce of her sister." Likewise, it is forbidden for her to ask for her own divorce without a legitimate reason, based on the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Any woman who asks her husband for a divorce without any compelling reason, the scent of Paradise will be forbidden to her." A man's marriage to another woman is not a harm that permits asking for a divorce. However, if the wife is distressed by her husband marrying another, she may ask for a divorce, but the husband is not obligated to grant her request. The husband is advised to try to appease his first wife without being unjust to the second, while holding on to the second wife if he is content with her.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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