Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (12/429)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

in this regard, then Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. But whatever he is able to do, he must divide fairly.

Question: Must he treat his wives equally in gifts and presents? The jurists, may Allah have mercy on them, say: As for obligatory maintenance, equality is required; but beyond that, it is not obligatory. Their reasoning is that what is required is maintenance, and once he has fulfilled it, there is no blame upon him regarding anything beyond it. However, this view is weak.

The correct view is that he must treat his wives equally in everything within his ability, because the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever has two wives and inclines toward one of them will come on the Day of Resurrection with one side leaning.” (1)

“The basis of division is the night for one whose livelihood is by day, and the reverse is true in the opposite case. He must divide his time with a menstruating woman, a woman in postnatal bleeding, a sick woman, a defective woman, a harmless insane woman, and others, ……”

His statement, “The basis of division is the night for one whose livelihood is by day, and the reverse is true in the opposite case”: “Its basis” means that the fundamental time for allocating turns is the night for one whose livelihood is during the day—which is the case for most people. As Allah Most High says:

“And We made the night as a covering, and We made the day for livelihood.” [al-Nabaʾ 78:10–11]

Most people earn their livelihood by day and rest at night; therefore, the basis for dividing time among wives is the night. During the day, however, a man goes about earning his livelihood. He may visit the house of one wife because of some matter connected to his work, buying, or selling, without visiting the other. His financial stores may be kept in the house of one of them, so that he needs to visit her even when it is not her turn.

But for one whose livelihood is at night rather than during the day, the basis for dividing time in his case is the daytime—for example, a guard who keeps watch at night and is free for his household during the day. Hence he said, “and the reverse is true in the opposite case.”

(1) Its source has already been cited on p. 192.

القسم فيه فلا يكلف الله نفساً إلا وسعها، وما يمكنه فإنه يجب عليه أن يقسم. مسألة: هل يجب أن يعدل بين زوجاته في الهبة والعطية؟ يقول الفقهاء ﵏: أما في النفقة الواجبة فواجب، وما عدا ذلك فليس بواجب؛ لأن الواجب هو الإنفاق، وقد قام به، وما عدا ذلك فإنه لا حرج عليه فيه، لكن هذا القول ضعيف. والصواب أنه يجب أن يعدل بين زوجاته في كل شيء يقدر عليه، لقوله ﷺ: «من كان له امرأتان فمال إلى إحداهما جاء يوم القيامة وشقه مائل» (١). وَعِمَادُهُ اللَّيْلُ لِمَنْ مَعَاشُهُ النَّهَارُ، وَالعَكْسُ بِالعَكْسِ، وَيَقْسِمُ لِحَائِضٍ، وَنُفَسَاءَ، وَمَرِيضَةٍ، وَمَعِيبَةٍ، وَمَجْنُونَةٍ مَأْمُونَةٍ وَغَيْرِهَا، ......... قوله: «وعماده الليل لمن معاشه النهار والعكس بالعكس» «عماده» أي: عماد القسم الأصل فيه الليل لمن معاشه النهار، وهو غالب الناس، كما قال الله تعالى: ﴿وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا *﴾ ﴿وَجَعَلْنَا النَّهَارَ مَعَاشًا *﴾ [النبأ]، فغالب الناس معاشهم النهار وسكونهم الليل، فيكون عماد القسم للزوجات الليل، أما النهار فالإنسان يذهب في معيشته، ربما يتردد إلى بيت هذه لأمرٍ يتعلق بمعيشته، وبيعه، وشرائه، ولا يتردد إلى الأخرى، وربما تكون خزائن ماله في بيت واحدةٍ فيحتاج إلى أن يتردد عليها، ولو لم يكن يومها. وأما من معاشه في الليل دون النهار، فعماد القسم في حقه النهار، كالحارس الذي يحرس ليلاً وفي النهار، يتفرغ لبيته، ولهذا قال: «والعكس بالعكس».

(١) سبق تخريجه ص (١٩٢).