Quran and four Wives

Introduction

The Qur’an’s reference to marrying “two, three, or four” women (Q 4:3) has long been interpreted as a general permission for men. Marriage in the Qur’an is never reduced to lust or possession; it is consistently described as a solemn covenant, a balanced partnership, and a moral responsibility. The allowance of polygyny is exceptional, conditional, and protective. Importantly, these principles are universal, addressed not only to Muslims but to all of humanity, as seen in the opening verses of Sūrat al-Nisāʾ.

The only Ayah in Quran that allows polygamy:

(Sūrat An-Nisā): Verse (4:3)
وَإِنۡ خِفۡتُمۡ أَلَّا تُقۡسِطُواْ فِى ٱلۡيَتَـٰمَىٰ فَٱنكِحُواْ مَا طَابَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ مَثۡنَىٰ وَثُلَـٰثَ وَرُبَـٰعَ‌ۖ فَإِنۡ خِفۡتُمۡ أَلَّا تَعۡدِلُواْ فَوَٲحِدَةً

Sahih International: And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four. But if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one.
Mufti Tariq Usmani: If you fear that you will not do justice to the orphans, then marry the women you like, in twos, in threes, and in fours. But if you fear that you will not maintain equity, then (keep to) one woman.

Clear Words of the Holy Quran:

“وَإِنۡ” – “And if” (introducing a conditional statement)
“خِفۡتُمۡ” – “You fear” (plural, addressing Muslims or Muslim society, indicating a concern or apprehension).
“قِسْط” – Refers to “due right that should be given to a person.” In this context, it implies the right to marriage, which might be jeopardized due to a shortage of men (for any reason). Without such a shortage, this fear would not exist.
“أَلَّا تُقۡسِطُواْ” – “That you will not be able to manage justice,” arranging marriage partners for everyone (due to the lack of men in society).
“يَتِيم” – “Orphans,” including any leftover single women in society as a result of the shortage of men. “يَتِيم” does not only refer to orphans but also to all those lonely, single women who cannot have a life partner due to a shortage of men or for other reasons. According to تَاج العَرُوس and ER-Raghib, even a pearl that is one of its kind is called “يَتِيم” while it is alone.
“فَٱنكِحُواْ” – “Then marry.”

“وَإِنۡ خِفۡتُمۡ أَلَّا تُقۡسِطُواْ فِى ٱلۡيَتَـٰمَىٰ فَٱنكِحُواْ” – “And if you fear that you will not be able to do justice to the orphans (having partner for every women) then marry …”
When the basic human rights of women to have a partner for marriage is endangered due to lack of men, raising concerns about how to fulfill their right to marriage. In such cases a conditional polygamy, allowing up to four wives, is permitted for a period until the underlying cause is resolved.

Allah says in Holy Quran to ponder upon it, and He describes one of the characteristics of a believer (Mu’min) as:
Verse (25:73) (Sūrat Al-Furqan): وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُڪِّرُواْ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِمۡ لَمۡ يَخِرُّواْ عَلَيۡهَا صُمًّ۬ا وَعُمۡيَانً۬ا
Sahih International: And those who, when reminded of the verses of their Lord, do not fall upon them deaf and blind.

Marriage in Quran is a Covenant

مِّيثَـٰقًا غَلِيظً۬ا (4:21): a solemn and weighty covenant, not a casual bond.
مُّحۡصِنِينَ غَيۡرَ مُسَـٰفِحِينَ (4:24): entering marriage responsibly, not merely for lust.
The Qur’anic use of زَوْج highlights partnership, equality, and compatibility — a pair that complements one another.

The Qur’an’s language consistently stresses that marriage requires mutual willingness, harmony, and responsibility. It rejects coercion and exploitation.

Understanding condition in traditional translations:

Now trying to understand what is exactly the condition in most traditional translations, to be eligible for more than one wife. The condition seems to be very simple:
“if you have fear to do unjust with orphans, then marry up to four women.”

But when you ponder upon it, it make little sense and many problems arise. For example, what if one wants to marry but he has done nothing wrong with orphans because he is a just man and fears Allah and feels no fear of being unjust? According to this condition, he is not eligible. Actually, he is a more suitable candidate for two wives because, according to the next part of the verse (فَإِنۡ خِفۡتُمۡ أَلَّا تَعۡدِلُواْ فَوَٲحِدَةً) means ( if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one). He can be expected to be more just between two wives while he is a good man, fears Allah, and has never been unjust to orphans.
It is very strange. One who never did any harm to orphans is not eligible, while one who does injustice to orphans is eligible. The second thing here very hard to understand is the remedy for that. If you fear that you will do injustice, then marry two, three, or four women. the Problem and its remedy does not match together. There is one explanation that people say: if you marry them, then there is a chance that you will not do injustice with them. It can’t be correct according to the next part of the verse where Allah says if you think that you are unjust then you are not eligible even to marry a second woman.

I am a student of the Almighty Quran, and even I know the Holy Quran is full of wisdom, and this condition in Verse (4:3) is not understood. There must be something very wrong that led to this misunderstanding while the Holy Quran is a clear book understandable to all mankind.

this problem come forth because In Verse (4:3) we took the word “تُقۡسِطُو” in a usual form of injustice, like one beats an orphan and gives no meal or clothes. Okay, these are very bad things, but the remedy for that should be admonition not to do that, fear Allah, etc., as we often see in the Holy Quran. But here Allah orders us “فَٱنكِحُواْ” to marry them in an exceptional way, up to two, three, or four.

Trying to understand why word “قِسْط” is used:
Allah does not use any other Arabic words like “انصاف” or “عَدْل” but “قِسْط “, which is very meaningful to use here. It means to give a person his portion, his due part to maintain justice.

According to Imam Al-Raghib al-Isfahani (died AH 502), one of the pioneer Arabic grammarians, he explained it as a due portion for a person based on justice. The other famous Arabic language dictionary Taj Al-ʿArus (تَاج العَرُوس) also explains “قِسْط” as a portion, a due part that should be for a person.

Let us try to understand it. why Allah used “قِسْط ” and not other Arabic Words.
In Arabic, there are many words about justice, starting with the most basic one:

انصاف (Insaaf): This is the simplest form of justice. It is based on “نصف” which means “half.” For example, an old man has a land property of about 600 square meters. He wants to divide it justly between his two sons. Each one gets exactly half, i.e., 300 m², then the old man is a just person and has done justice according to “انصاف”.
عَدْل (Adl): It could be possible that one side of the 600 m² is more costly, like a corner plot. Then, the “half-half” principle will not be just if he does not consider the value of the corner plot. In this case, he divides his property in such a way that both plots have the same value. For example, he divides it so that 200 m² is on the corner side and the other 400 m², both having the same value. Then the old man has done justice according to the “عَدْل”. Arabs used to balance light and heavy objects of different consumer goods on both sides of a camel’s back. They call this balancing process “عَدَلَ”, the root word of justice “عَدْل”.
قِسْط (Qist): This is the finest form of justice. (to care about the due rights) The old man’s case will be more complicated if, for example, one son is disabled and cannot work, but he has to care for his family with children. On the other hand, the second son is single, working, and has money. The old man talks with him and, with his consent, gives all of his property to the other disabled son considering his extreme need. In this case, he has done justice according to “قِسْط”.
Allah says in the Quran, Verse (49:9), to do “عَدْل” with “قِسْط” and Allah loves those who do “قِسْط”.

The term ‘قِسْط’ in the verse ‘أَلَّا تُقْسِطُواْ’ does not mean to beat an orphan, but rather refers to safeguarding her right to marry, especially when they are at risk.

further if we understand what type of fear and what type of justice Allah means here, then it will be more clear and easy to understand. The way to know what Allah means is to search and ponder over His words. For example, if one does not understand what “قِسْط” means here exactly then he should look for the remedy that Allah chose for that, which here is the command “فَٱنكِحُواْ” to marry them. This makes it clear that there is something wrong about their marriage there for Allah advice to marry them.

(The Quran describes its own meaning: “ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهُۥ” Sahih International: Then upon Us is its clarification [to you]).

Muslim should care for finding proper passing matches for the orphan and leftover single women. that is their right which is written for them in book, to chose their life partner with her own desire and liking instead you inflict your desire to marry her regardless of their desire. This Ayah makes it more clear:

sūrat l-nisāa Verse (4:127) “وَيَسۡتَفۡتُونَكَ فِى ٱلنِّسَآءِ‌ۖ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يُفۡتِيڪُم
“فِيهِنَّ وَمَا يُتۡلَىٰ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ فِى ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ فِى يَتَـٰمَى ٱلنِّسَآءِ ٱلَّـٰتِى لَا تُؤۡتُونَهُنَّ مَا كُتِبَ لَهُنَّ وَتَرۡغَبُونَ أَن تَنكِحُوهُنَّ
Sahih International: And they request from you, [O Muhammad], a [legal] ruling concerning women. Say, ” Allah gives you a ruling about them and [about] what has been recited to you in the Book concerning the orphan girls to whom you do not give what is decreed for them – and [yet] you desire to marry them.
The focus is clearly the rights of orphans (yatāmā). The Qur’an warns against injustice toward them. This cannot mean simply paying a token dowry and then marrying them. Allah mentions not only financial provisions but full rights: dignity, self-determination, and free consent. Marriage is described as a lifelong covenant, not a transaction. Thus, the verse protects orphans from being exploited in marriage contracts arranged by guardians who raised them.

Justice, “قِسْط,” refers to the right of every woman to have a life partner, which is endangered. Fear arises among Muslim society, when there is a shortage of men in society (perhaps for any reason), and one must consider how it will be possible to fulfill the right of every leftover woman to have a partner and a family. If the strict principle of monogamy is taken, then what will be the fate of those single women who will not find a husband and are left alone in society?

Linguistic-Grammatical Analysis: قِسْط (qisṭ) vs. عَدْل (ʿadl)
1. قِسْط (qisṭ)
Root: ق س ط
Form: Masdar, often carrying the meaning of “giving each person their due share.”
Nuance: It is not just about abstract “justice,” but about the rightful share, entitlement, or due portion.
Context in 4:3: “أَلَّا تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَىٰ” → the concern is that orphaned girls / surplus women may not receive their rightful share in marriage.
Logical implication: The solution given is “فَانكِحُوا” – marry them to compensate for this lack. Thus qisṭ here refers to societal justice in distributing the right to marriage, especially when men are few in number.
2. عَدْل (ʿadl)
Root: ع د ل
Form: Masdar, meaning “to balance, to equalize, to treat equally.”
Nuance: This is not about the right to a partner, but about fair treatment between multiple partners once polygamy is entered into.
Context in 4:3: “فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا فَوَاحِدَةً” → If you fear that you cannot be just between two or more wives, then stay with only one.
Logical implication: ʿadl here refers to intra-family justice between wives.

3. Why both terms in sequence?
First, the societal dimension is addressed: qisṭ → the concern that women may remain without a partner.
Then, the individual dimension: ʿadl → the concern that a husband may fail to treat multiple wives equally.
The order is perfectly logical: first the whether (is polygamy socially necessary to protect unpartnered women?), then the how (can the man, if he takes more than one wife, maintain justice among them?).

4. Summary
Qisṭ = justice in the distribution of societal rights (every woman has the right to marriage, if she chooses).
ʿAdl = justice in internal treatment (no wife should be disadvantaged compared to another).
Thus, 4:3 is not a free license but a double condition:
Polygamy only if socially necessary (qisṭ).
Only for a man capable of maintaining ʿadl between wives.

A Universal Principle:
It is also a question for every modern society how they will solve this problem?
The Qur’an’s proposal is not confined to Muslims. The opening verses of Sūrat al-Nisāʾ address all humanity (an-nās), reminding that all people descend from a single soul and must safeguard justice for the vulnerable. The allowance of polygyny is therefore not a cultural concession but a universal principle for times of imbalance: a social remedy rooted in justice and compassion, never in male desire.
For the sake of these women, Allah makes a temporary exception to His rule of monogamy and allows up to four wives as long as the condition is valid.

May Allah forgive us for our weakness in not understanding His Glorious Book properly. Ameen