Question:
Asalaamu alaikum,
About a year ago a converted sister married an Egyptian man as his second wife. First wife and children are living in his paternal home in a different city in Egypt.
Due to his work, he lives about 4-6 weeks with the second wife, and then goes on ‘vacation’ for about 7-10 days to his first wife, children and family. Even though he claims that his family is aware that he did marry a second wife, he didn’t take the sister so far to his parents’ house to introduce her as their ‘other’ daughter-in-law. Now the sister is skeptical if their marriage is actually in perspective to make the marriage public/announcing it to family and all, is valid. She would like a clarification if she Islamically has the right to demand to meet his parents and extended family and being introduced as his second wife?
Answer:
wa `alaykum salam,
Marriage is valid and unaffected by isolation from in-laws. She may gently ask to get to know them, although it is not part of his obligations. It may be that he wants to protect her and their marriage from any unpleasant reaction as, sadly, many or most urban Muslims tend to become discombobulated at the notion of a second marriage.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
