A Saudi wife paid for her husband's 2nd wedding and everyone is talking

The story of a Saudi wife who congratulated her husband on his second marriage and even helped pay for its expenses went viral on social media earlier this week. 

According to local news site Sabq, the woman, who's a headmistress of a school in a village located in Tabuk governorate, sent her husband a congratulatory WhatsApp message on the morning after his wedding to his second wife. 

Speaking to Sabq, the husband, Sulaiman Nasser Al Bolawy said his first wife and her family congratulated his new wife on their marriage and have an excellent relationship with her.

He also added that his first wife has always been an excellent partner and mother to their children. 

"Even though she has a demanding job, she takes care of everything all by herself, refusing to get help from a domestic worker. She also takes care of my elderly mother," he said.

Al Bolawy added that he sees no problem in marrying a second wife even though society believes that this often causes marital problems. 

"I think marrying a second wife has nothing to do with marital problems, they can exist regardless of how many women you're married to," he added. 

The first wife's story has shocked thousands online who thought her actions were out of the ordinary.

Here's a little of what people had to say: 

"This is great news, Mashallah. May God grant us what he's blessed you with."

"An exemplary woman."  

"I think this is absolutely normal and I know so many people who've done the same. My first wife 'gifted' me a beautiful second wife and they're living together just like sisters."

"It's impossible for a wife who loves her husband to accept his marriage to someone else... except if she doesn't care for him."

"These types of men, no matter what you give them, they'll keep saying: Sharia grants me the right to marry 4 women."

"This is so frustrating. He says she takes care of his elderly mother and is an excellent wife. Why marry a second one then?"

In countries across the Arab world, many believe that Islam unconditionally allows for men to be married to more than one woman at a time.

The issue is still a matter of debate across the region and stories of polygamous weddings/marriages often go viral on Twitter and other social media platforms.

However, every time polygamy comes up on social media, several users highlight an important fact that many seem to ignore or forget: In Islam, taking more than one wife is only permissible under a very tight frame of conditions.

The religion first allowed polygamy for the sake of widows and orphans who had no means of survival.

The only Quranic verse that speaks about polygamy is believed to have been revealed after the Battle of Uhud, which led to the death of many Muslim men who left behind families in need of support.

The Quran clearly states that a man can only marry more than one woman if he treats her and all his other wives "equally."

"But if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one," Surat An-Nisaa states.

The surah then decrees: "You will never be able to be equal between wives, even if you should strive to do so". 

This makes Islam-approved polygamy near impossible to attain, even when conditions for it apply.