Do Men Get More Rewards in Paradise Than Women Due to Them Being Able To Have Multiple Wives?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch 

Question Summary

Do men get more rewards in Paradise than women do to them being able to have multiple wives?

Question Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

There is nothing in Islam that states that men are given more rewards than women just because they can have multiple wives.

It is true that a man with multiple wives who fulfills the rights of his wives and treats them in a way that is pleasing to Allah will get more reward than a man who only has one wife.

However, just as there are some deeds that men are able to do as opposed to women, the opposite is also true—for example, childbirth.

Virtues Exclusive to Women

Giving Birth

Anas bin Malik (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Salama, the caretaker of Ibrahim, the son of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace), said, “O Messenger of Allah! Why do you give glad tidings to the men and not to the women?  He replied, “Your friends pushed you to ask this?” She said, “Yes, they commanded me.”

He said, “Are you all not pleased that -when she gets pregnant from her husband and is content with that – she will have the reward of one constantly fasting by day and engaged in prayer by night in the path of Allah.

Then when the contractions begin, even the inhabitants of the Heavens and the Earth don’t know of the hidden pleasures (in Paradise) in store for her.

Then when she delivers the baby, not a single drop of her milk comes out, nor a single suckling is taken except that she will have for every drop and every sucking a good deed.

Then if she is caused to be awake in the nights, she has the reward of seventy slaves, which she frees in the path of Allah… [Tabarani]

Easy Path to Paradise

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “If the woman prays her five daily prayers, fasts her month (i.e., Ramadan), protects her chastity, and obeys her husband – it will be said to her, ‘Enter Paradise from any of the doors of Paradise you wish.” [Ahmad]

Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) said, “A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I am the delegate of the women. Allah has prescribed striving in His path for the men. If they are injured, they get the reward, and if they are killed, they are (martyrs who are) living in the presence of their Lord being provided for. However, as women, we take care of their affairs, so what reward do we get.”

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) then replied, “Tell all the women that you meet that obeying their spouses and seeing it as their (i.e., the spouse) right over them equates all that (i.e., the men’s reward in striving in the path of Allah). However, few of you do that.” [Mundhiri, al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib]

The Error of Comparing Genders

In Islam, one’s salvation and success in this world and the next are in obeying Allah Most High in the circumstances which He has decreed for him or her. To the degree that one obeys Allah is their status with Allah.

One of the ills of our time is that men and women determine their status in comparison to the opposite gender. Rather, our status should be determined in accordance with our obedience to Allah Most High in our specific circumstances.

That said, the woman has circumstances unique to her that a man may not have and vice versa. Likewise, a parent has a specific circumstance that one who has no children does not and vice versa. Each is to strive and fulfill the rights of Allah in the role they have.

Allah Most High says, “But those who do good—whether male or female—and have faith will enter Paradise and will never be wronged ˹even as much as˺ the speck on a date-stone.” [Qur’an; 4:124]

and

“Whoever does good, whether male or female, and is a believer, We will surely bless them with a good life, and We will certainly reward them according to the best of their deeds.” [Qur’an; 16:97]