Equal division of everything between the wives or with their consent

Q 4: A Muslim is married to two women and he divides everything equally between them but he loves and spends more nights with one of them. What is the ruling on this man having sexual intercourse with his second wife and then going to spend the rest of the night with the other one whom he loves more? Bear in mind that his second wife's children are noisy and this man needs to get up early to go to work. Is there any sin on him? What if he spends two nights with the wife he prefers and one with the other?

A: First, the basic rule is to treat all wives justly, for Allah (Glorified be He) says: ...so do not incline too much (to one of them by giving her more of your time and provision) so as to leave the other hanging (i.e. neither divorced nor married). The emotional inclination is excluded from this order, for it is confirmed that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to divide everything between his wives justly and say: "O Allah! This is my division concerning what I possess, so do not blame me concerning what You possess and I do not." (Part No. 19; Page No. 185) Second, if the reality is as you mentioned, that you divide everything between them except that you love one of them more than the other, there is no harm on you based on the previous evidence. Third, it is not permissible for you to spend the night of a certain wife with the other without her approval. Furthermore, it is not permissible to allocate double the number of nights for a wife without the other's approval, as this falls under the inclination prohibited by Allah (Exalted be He). The blessed Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet) is for a man to equally divide the nights he spends with his wives and it is not permissible for him to spend part of one's night with the other without her approval, as previously explained. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.