has two wives and inclines toward one of them at the expense of the other will come on the Day of Resurrection dragging one side of his face, either collapsed or askew.”
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From this hadith the scholars have deduced that apportioning nights among one’s wives is obligatory. Al-Iqnāʿ and its commentary state: “It is unlawful for a man who has more than one wife to enter, on the night allotted to one of them, upon another except out of necessity. Should he remain with her or have intercourse, he must compensate the other with an equal stay, for equity is obligatory and cannot be achieved otherwise.”
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We have already noted that one of the wisdoms behind the ghusl after janābah is to restore vitality to a body that has become fatigued and to rouse limbs that have grown sluggish through exertion—this is the common human experience.
As for the Prophet ﷺ, he would perform ghusl after janābah because it is one of the two prescribed purifications and because he loved to be in a state of purity under all circumstances. Yet he possessed physical strength and manliness more complete and ample than anyone else. Among the texts describing this are:
– The hadith under discussion, recorded by al-Bukhārī and Muslim, in which Anas—his attendant—said: “The Prophet ﷺ would go around to his wives after a single ghusl.”
– Anas also relates in al-Bukhārī that the Prophet ﷺ “would go around to his wives in a single night, and at that time he had nine wives.”
– Al-Bukhārī further narrates: “He ﷺ was endowed with the strength of thirty men,” while another version from Asmāʾ says: “with the strength of forty.” -
He therefore enjoyed this unique measure of strength and virility, which spared him the need to re-energize his body with water and bathing when circumstances or time did not permit a wash after every occurrence. Even so, upon finishing he would pour water over his body, and he would perform ghusl with a ṣāʿ of water.
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Regarding the fact that he ﷺ could visit all his wives in a single night and have intercourse with them, the scholars have offered several explanations. The best, most fitting, and closest to the truth is that