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4:3 Limit On Number Of Wives
An-Nisa’ – 4:3
Arabic
وَإِنۡ خِفۡتُمۡ أَلَّا تُقۡسِطُواْ فِى ٱلۡيَتَٰمَىٰ فَٱنكِحُواْ مَا طَابَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ مَثۡنَىٰ وَثُلَٰثَ وَرُبَٰعَۖ فَإِنۡ خِفۡتُمۡ أَلَّا تَعۡدِلُواْ فَوَٰحِدَةً أَوۡ مَا مَلَكَتۡ أَيۡمَٰنُكُمْۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَدۡنَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَعُولُواْ
This ayah seems to just say- ‘marry how ever many you can- two or three or four’
The implication would be that it is just a suggestion or a description of a normal number being 2 or 3 or 4- but there is no actual limit.
Why do most people say this ayah refers to a limit?
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9 Replies
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4:3 Limit On Number Of Wives
updated 3 years, 7 months ago
4 Members
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9
Replies
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What does 2-3-4 mean to you more than 4-5-6-7?! To me it obviously means maximum 4
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I have already written in my question what an interpretation could be
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To me the limit appears 4. If we start interpreting every word and finding other meanings to something obvious, we will be going around in circles with no end in sight.!
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If I say
‘Bring some ketchup- two or three packets’
I’m not prescribing a number just giving a suggestion
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Please see this response by Ghamidi Sahab:
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👍
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I have pondered a bit more on this I have just thought that the argument from Ghamidi sahab doesn’t make sense. Since the ayah seems to says ‘… from women, two or three or four’. I’m not sure if it equates ‘do do teen teen chaar chaar’. Maybe @irfan76 could help out since the word used for two three and four is not ithnayn thalaatha arba3 but mathnaa thulaath and rubaa3
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Apparently it means ‘two per (each man)…’
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These are Mathna, Thulatha and Ruba’, they are used for pairs as we say in our language do do, teen teen, chaar chaar. these are not like simple for two three and four.
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