The question of >polygamy has been an ongoing debate for years around the world, and Muslims center that conversation around religion.
In some Arab countries, polygamy is viewed as unconditionally permissible in Islam, despite the fact that a very tight frame of conditions must be applied for it to be legally binding.
Egypt's top Muslim cleric Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb recently reiterated those conditions, saying polygamy is often practiced contrary to the Qur'an. He added that it is an "injustice" for women and children.
"Those who say that marriage must be polygamous are all wrong. We have to read the (Quranic) verse in full," the sheikh, who is Al-Azhar's Grand Imam, said.
He added that men who decide to take on multiple wives "must obey conditions of fairness - and if there is not fairness it is forbidden to have multiple wives."
"Polygamy is the exception"
"One wife is the rule, while polygamy is the conditional exception," Al-Tayeb said.
"If there is no fairness [by the husbands (sic) towards his spouse], then it's forbidden to have more than one wife."
Islam first allowed polygamy for the sake of widows and orphans who have no means of survival. The Qur'anic 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 Qur'an clearly states that men can marry more than one woman if, and only if, he treats them fairly.
"But if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one," Surat An-Nisaa (The Women) states. However, 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.
The Grand Imam also called for a reshuffle of how women's issues are addressed.
"Women represent half of society. If we don't care for them it's like walking on one foot only," he said.
His comments were made on Egyptian state TV on Friday, sparking mixed reactions from the public. Maya Morsi, President of Egypt's National Council for Women, said "the Muslim religion honors women- it brought justice and numerous rights which didn't exist before."
The heated debate pushed Al-Azhar to issue a statement on the matter, clarifying that Al-Tayeb was not calling for a ban on polygamy.
In the Middle East and North Africa, polygamy is banned in Tunisia and Turkey.
Anti-polygamy opinions are becoming common in the region
In 2018, Twitter users in Saudi Arabia launched an Arabic hashtag titled ">Saudis refuse polygamy" to express their views on the matter.
That same year, StepFeed spoke to a few Arab women who> refused to stay with their spouses after they had taken a second wife.
Loulwa, a Saudi woman, divorced her husband four years into their marriage when he took another wife behind her back during her second pregnancy.
"I couldn't spend even one more day with him after I discovered what he'd done," she told StepFeed.
"I went back to my family home and got a divorce four months before I gave birth to a baby girl. Most of my family members stood against my decision, but my parents have been supportive. Knowing me, they knew I wouldn't be able to live with my husband after what he'd done," she said.