The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that whoever has more than one wife and does not maintain justice between them as much as possible, by providing equal treatment in terms of financial support, housing, clothing, and overnight stay, half of his body will be hanging down as a punishment for him on the Day of Judgment. Such inclination is a punishment for his injustice, reflecting his unfair treatment.
Lessons
A man must divide his time between his wives, whether they are two or more. It is prohibited for him to be more inclined to one of them than the other in terms of what is within his ability of the financial maintenance, overnight stay, courtesy, etc.
Equality is required when it comes to the division of time and other things that a person can control. However, love and emotional inclination, which are beyond one's control, are not included in the Hadīth. This is what is meant by Allah's statement: {You will never be able to maintain absolute justice between your wives, no matter how keen you are.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 129]
The recompense always suits the deed; hence, when a man shows inclination in this world to one wife more than the other, he will come on the Day of Judgment with one of his sides hanging down.
The importance of upholding the rights of others and the fact that they are not overlooked or pardoned as they are based on disputation and investigation.
It is recommended to have only one wife if the person fears the inability to treat his wives fairly to avoid being negligent in the religion. Allah Almighty says: {But if you fear that you may not maintain justice, then marry only one} [Surat an-Nisā’: 3].
Explanation in Arabic
يُخْبِرُ النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أنَّ مَن كانت له أكثر من زوجة، فلم يَعْدِل بين زوجاته العدلَ المُستطاع، من مساواة بينهن في الإنفاق والمسكن والملبس والمَبِيْت، بأنَّ عقابه يوم القيامة أن يكون نصفُ جسدِه مائلًا، وميلانه عقوبة له على جوره، كما مَالَ في معاملته.
وجوب القَسْمِ على الرجل بين زوجتيه أو زوجاته، ويَحْرُم عليه المَيْلُ إلى إحداهنَّ عن الأخرى، فيما يقدر عليه من النفقة، والمبيت، وحسن المقابلة، ونحو ذلك.
التسوية في القِسْمَة ونحو ذلك، فيما يملك الإنسان، أما ما لا يملكه كالمحبة والمَيْل القلبي فإنه لا يدخل في الحديث، وهو المقصود في قوله تعالى: {ولن تستطيعوا أن تعدلوا بين النساء ولو حرصتم} [النساء: 129].
الجزاء يكون من جنس العمل، فإنَّ الرجل لما مال في الدنيا من زوجةٍ إلى أخرى، جاء يوم القيامة مائلًا أحدُ شِقَّيْه عن الآخر.
تعظيم حقوق العباد، وأنه لا يُسامَح فيها؛ لأنها مبنيةٌ على الشُّحِّ والتَّقَصِّي.
استحباب الاقتصار على زوجةٍ واحدةٍ، إذا خاف الرجل أن لا يعدل بين زوجاته؛ لئلا يقع في التقصير في الدين؛ قال تعالى: {فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا فَوَاحِدَةً} [النساء: 3].
