or toward some of that.

Section: He is not required to be equitable between his wives in terms of maintenance and clothing if he fulfills the obligatory amount for each one of them. Ahmad said, regarding a man who has two wives: He may favor one over the other in terms of maintenance, desires, and housing (33), if the other is already sufficiently provided for; he may purchase for this one a garment superior to that of the other, provided that the other is in a state of sufficiency. This is because strict equity in all of this is difficult; if it were mandatory, it would be impossible to fulfill without hardship, so its obligation lapses, just like equity in marital intercourse.

1224 - Issue: He said: "The foundation of the division (of time) is the night."

There is no disagreement regarding this. This is because the night is for dwelling and finding shelter; a person shelters in it in his home, finds tranquility with his spouse, and customarily sleeps in his bed with his wife. The day is for seeking a living, going out, earning, and engaging in activities. Allah the Almighty said: {And He made the night for rest} (1). He also said: {And We made the night a covering, and We made the day for livelihood} (2). And He said: {And it is out of His mercy that He has made for you the night and the day that you may rest therein and seek of His bounty} (3). Based on this, a man divides his time between his wives night by night, and during the day he is in his livelihood, fulfilling people's rights, and doing whatever is permissible for him, unless he is someone whose livelihood is at night, such as guards and those like them; in which case, he divides his time between his wives during the day, and the night is, in his case, like the day is in the case of others.

Section: The day is included in the division as a follower of the night, based on the evidence of what was narrated that Sawda gifted her day to Aisha. This is agreed upon (4). Aisha said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was taken (in death) in my house and on my day (5)." And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was indeed taken during the day. The day follows the preceding night, because (6) the day is a follower of the night. For this reason, the beginning of the month is the night; if one were to vow to seclude himself (i'tikaf) for a month, he enters his place of seclusion before the sunset of the day preceding it, and exits it after the sunset of the last day of it. Thus, he begins with the night. If he wishes to make the day added to the night that follows it, it is permissible, because there is no disparity in that.

Section: If he goes out from the presence of one of his wives during her time (her night), and if that is during the day, or at the beginning of the night, or at the end of it, in which it is the custom to be out and to go out for prayer, it is permissible. For the Muslims go out for the Isha prayer and for the Fajr prayer before its rising. As for the day, it is for livelihood and being out and about. If he goes out at other than that time and does not linger, returning shortly, he does not have to make it up for her, because there is no benefit in making it up. If he stays away, he must make it up to her, whether his stay was for an excuse, such as work or imprisonment, or without an excuse, because her right has been missed by his absence from her. If he likes to consider his making it up as his absence from the other, similar to how he was absent from this one, it is permissible, because equity is achieved by that, and because if it is permissible for him to leave the night completely in the case of each of them, then a portion of it is more appropriate. It is recommended that he makes it up to her at a similar time, because that is more complete in terms of equivalence; and in making up (missed time), equivalence is taken into account, just like in making up acts of worship and rights. If he makes it up at a different time of the night, such as if he missed her in the first part of the night and makes it up in the last part, or missed her in the last and makes it up in (7) the first, there are two viewpoints; one of them...