the women, two or three or four} (4). The 'wa' (and) is for conjunction. Furthermore, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, died leaving behind nine wives. This [argument of al-Qasim] is of no weight because it constitutes a breach of consensus and an abandonment of the Sunnah. Indeed, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to Ghaylan ibn Salamah when he embraced Islam while having ten wives: "Keep four, and separate from the rest." And Nawfal ibn Mu'awiyah said: "I embraced Islam while I had five wives, so the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to me: 'Separate from one of them.'" Both [reports] were narrated by al-Shafi'i in his "Musnad" (6). If one is forbidden from sustaining an increase beyond four, then [prohibiting it at] the inception is even more appropriate. Therefore, the verse is intended to offer a choice between two, three, or four, as He said: {possessing wings, two or three or four} (8). He did not mean that every angel has nine wings, and if He had intended that, He would have said "nine," and the extension would have had no meaning. Whoever says other than this has been ignorant of the Arabic language. As for the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, he was uniquely permitted that. Do you not see that he combined fourteen?

1137 - Issue: He said: (And it is not permitted for a slave to combine more than two wives.)

The scholars have reached a consensus that a slave may marry two. They differed regarding the permissibility of four. The position of Ahmad is that he is not permitted (1) more than two, which is the opinion of Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ali, and Abd al-Rahman ibn