Photos of Egyptian wife attending husband’s second marriage go viral

Earlier this week, photos of an Egyptian wife who attended her own husband's second marriage ceremony sent social media into a meltdown of the sorts. 

This came after the images, which show the woman sitting next to her husband and his new bride in their ''kosha,'' went viral. 

In a statement said to have been published by the groom - now identified as Mo'taz Hilal - on Facebook, he said: 

"I always dreamt of taking a second wife, and when I told my first wife about it, she was a bit upset at first, but because she truly loves me, she eventually reconciled with the idea." 

"She even helped convince the parents of my second wife of the marriage and has an excellent relationship with her now," he added. 

In his widely shared statement, Hilal explained that he decided to marry again because he wants to expand his family and have more children. 

He also hit back at people who were criticizing photos of his wedding and said he was confused as to how they went viral on social media in the first place. 

Soon after images of the wedding began to circulate online, they sparked widespread debate over polygamous marriages. 

"This is such an amazing thing to see. His first wife deserves respect." 

"So is this really a thing?" 

"Are there women who still accept this in our day and age?"  

"Maybe he was such a lousy husband, she thought she'd hand him over to someone else."

"No wife would accept such a situation, except if she didn't love her  husband. If she did, she would've completely crashed and ruined his second wedding."

While the man's reasons for taking a second wife remain quite unclear, in Islam polygamy is only permissible for men under a tight frame of conditions. 

The religion first allowed polygamy for the sake of widows and orphans who have 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.