Why Can’t Women Have Four Husbands If We Have DNA Tests Now?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

Why are women not allowed four husbands if modern technology can determine paternity? If Allah is All-Knowing, wouldn’t He know we could find the father? Also, men are allowed four wives, but how is this fair to the first wife, who may feel jealousy and heartache?

Answer

Thank you for your question. Modern technology, like DNA tests, doesn’t change this ruling in Islam that a woman cannot marry four men.

Polyandry

There is more to the marriage than paternity. Ask yourself these questions. In polyandry (marriage to multiple men), would it be obligatory to get a paternity test to determine who the biological father of a child is? What if one couldn’t afford it or didn’t have access, or mankind stopped having access?

If a woman was allowed to marry four husbands, would she be obliged to support them like a man is obliged to support four wives? Would she also, then, be the leader of the family? In that case, would she leave the husbands at home with the kids so that she could travel, giving equal time to each man, or just travel to each one’s home to nurse the children? I wonder if her maternal instinct would allow that.

Feelings

A woman being jealous over the presence of co-wives is completely fair, honest, and real. It happens, and it wasn’t easy for the wives of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) either. Islamic Law was sent down to us for the benefit of mankind as a fully functioning social system in any situation, time, or place. Other systems of living don’t come close to its perfection.

Other rulings in Islam can cause hurt feelings, too; are feelings the criteria for establishing all rulings in Islam? Or could rulings be based on God knowing what befits His creation? See more details about this below.

Fairness

Allah (Most High) has told us in the Quran, “If you fear you might fail to give orphan women their rights ˹if you were to marry them˺, then marry other women of your choice—two, three, or four. But if you are afraid you will fail to maintain justice, then ˹content yourselves with˺ one or those ˹bondwomen˺ in your possession. This way, you are less likely to commit injustice.” [Quran, 4:3]

Although a woman would naturally get heartache over a co-wife, it doesn’t mean the system is not fair. Remember that the All-Just gave us this Law. I ask you to re-assess the lens through which you see the world and try to seek your rights and obligations according to Islam. It is the most moderate, the most God-fearing, and the most pleasing way to Allah (Most High). Please see the details below about when polygamy is and isn’t permissible.

Please see more details here:

• The Muslim Marriage Crisis – A Frank Conversation with Imam Zaid Shakir
• Why Are Women Not Permitted to Marry More Than One Husband in Islam?
• Can a Husband Marry a Second Wife Without His First Wife’s Permission?
• Reader on Polygamy in Islam
• What Makes A Marriage Work – Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin and completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.