upon his slave women as he wishes. He may enjoy them if he wishes, just like wives; he may enjoy them less, or more, or he may treat the slave women equally, or favor some over others, or enjoy some without others. This is based on the saying of Allah Almighty: "But if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one or those your right hands possess" (Quran 4:3). The Prophet (peace be upon him) had Maryam the Copt and Rayhanah, yet he did not divide [time] between them. Furthermore, the slave woman has no right to enjoyment, which is why the option [of annulment] does not become established for her if the master is castrated or impotent, and the period of ila' (vow of abstinence) is not set for her. However, if she is in need of marriage, he must provide her with chastity (i'faf), either by having intercourse with her, marrying her off, or selling her.

Section: He shall divide between his wives night by night. If he desires to increase beyond that, it is not permissible unless with their consent. The Qadi said: He may divide two nights for two nights, or three for three, and it is not permissible to exceed that without their consent. With this, one night and one night is better, because it is closer to their time with him. Three is permissible because it is at the threshold of being few, so it is like the single night, and this is the school of al-Shafi'i. Our view is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) only divided one night and one night, and that equality is mandatory. [The initial permission] of one night was only allowed due to the impossibility of combining them. Thus, when he stays with one wife for a night, the second night becomes assigned as a right for the other; therefore, it is not permissible to assign it to the first wife without the other's consent. Furthermore, it is a delaying of the rights of some of them, so it is not permissible without their consent, like exceeding three nights. Also, if he has four wives and assigns three nights to each, the last one's turn is delayed by nine nights, which is a lot, so it is not permissible, just as if he had two wives and wanted to give each nine nights. Moreover, there are potential harms in delay, so it is not allowed when speed is possible without the consent of the one entitled to the right, similar to delaying an immediate debt. Setting the limit at three is an arbitrary judgment that is not accepted without evidence, and the fact that it is at the threshold of being few does not necessitate the permissibility of delaying the right, just like immediate debts and all other rights.

Section: If he divided for one of them, then divorced the other before her turn, he has committed a sin because he caused the loss of her due right. If she returns to him through revocation (raj'ah) or a new marriage, he must compensate her, because he is now capable of fulfilling her right, so it becomes incumbent upon him, like a debtor who becomes solvent.