Your questions:-

1 - What are the conditons on which polygamy is allowed in Islam?

2- There is a condition that wives should be treated equally, in what respect?
3 - Many men marry twice or thrice on the excuse that Allah allows it and then do not
give equal rights to wives, is this right?
4 - How are they punishable in the eyes of Allah?
5 - How is a woman supposed to behave with the other wife?
6- -What to be done if both the wives do not share a harmonious relationship?
7 - Historical background?

Answers:-

1. Polygamy existed when Islam came to Arabia. During the pre-Islamic era marriage
was allowed with unlimited number of wives. The Bible also did not put any limits to the
number of wives. Prophet Daood had several wives. So Islam did not establish/introduce
Polygamy. Polygamy – the marriage of a man to more than one woman – still exist “in
every part of the world, but it is more frequent among African peoples” according to the
Academic American Encyclopedia. If we read the Qur’anic texts we will find the
preference for having one wife, and that Allah restricted Polygamy with several
conditions such as mentioned in Surah al-Nisa:

And if you fear that you may cause the orphans injustice, then marry women of your
choice, two, or three, or four; But if you fear that you can not deal justly with them, then
only one.. That is more likely to keep you from committing injustice. (4:3)

It is often propagated that Polygamy is strongly recommended in Islam. This is one of the
most common misconceptions about Islam (Submission.) Qur’an strongly discourages
polygamy. Polygamy was a way of life until the Qur’an was revealed 1400 years ago. It
was advocated and practiced by the followers of the previous scriptures. Qur’an came to
put the first scriptural limit on polygamy and discourages it as much as possible.
Polygamy was never meant to be abused for sexual pleasure or prove superiority. It is
permitted with restrictions, exceptionally, and temporarily under the situation such as war
when large number of women, widows, and orphans are left and they needed the support
of the family system. In such cases the when nation feels this urgency to solve the
problem of widows and orphans, the women shall also take equal part in this decision;
men alone shall not decide it. Remember that Qur’an granted the permission for the
purpose of accommodating destitute not for sexual purpose or for the sake of having
children.

2. Fairness in treating the co-wives is a pre-condition; otherwise one wife is the general
rule in normal situation, “to keep you from committing injustice.”
Hence permission to polygamy is conditioned with justice and Qur’an says that you can
never do justice. It is an obligation not right in exceptional situations/circumstances. It is
related to an injustice suffered by the orphans, which may refer to after-war
circumstances, when many women became widows who have to take care of their
orphaned children, including girls in the age of marriage. This is a grave distortion of
Qur’anic teaching and satanic logic as practiced and has been incorporated in law in
many Muslim countries that if wife is barren or seriously ill and cannot fulfill the
conjugal duties then husband is allowed to take another wife. Qur’an speaks of justice
and such excuses do not fulfill the requirements of the justice. What if husband is
impotent or seriously ill? Does Islam equally grant the right to woman to get divorce and
marry another man? No, this is not the divine teaching of the Qur’an. The first and
formost condition for marriage is that man must have the ability to bear the burden of the
family, physically, psychologically and socially.

3. If men marry violating the law of the Allah mentioned in the divine book the Qur’an
and do not fulfill the law of justice then he is sinful in the eyes of Allah. Since there is no
punishment laid down in the Qur’an in this regard but based on the Ijtehad ( whose doors
are closed now) the lawmaker of the land can implement punishment to restrict the
mischievous act to be spreaded and bring disorder in the society as can be traced from the
history of Islam e.g. Hazrat Umer enacted a law of 80 lashes against the drinking of wine
based on Ijtehad and in order to maintain the social order where as no where in Qur’an
there is such punishment as well as at the time of the Prophet and his first successor
Hazrat Abu Bakr there are no traces in the record of the history that people were punished
for drinking wine with 80 lashes.

4. They are punishable in the eye of Allah as a transgressor who violates the injunction
the divine law.

5. If the man has taken the other wife with the consent of first wife and the other wife
also knows that she is the second wife and they both agree to the terms and conditions
laid down mutually before marriage then there is no point of conflict, but if this is not the
case and one or both the wives are unaware of the act of the man then they have a right to
condemn the act of the man and can demand the legal action to be taken against him.
Legal marriage cannot be based on fraud and deception so the other marriage should be
considered null and void.

6. It is not the question of harmonious relationship between wives. Prophet Muhammad

emphasized clearly the general rule and normal situation of monogamy, when he heard
that his cousin Ali was to take another wife beside the Prophet’s daughter Fatima,
underlining the right of the wife and her family to know about the other marriage and to
reject it. From a practical point of view, a woman would never accept to share a man with
another woman. If the family has to be model for the whole society in its harmonious
relations and fulfillment of all responsibilities (25:74). One man and one woman only can
establish such a strong and balanced nucleus that can represent such a model and
balanced nucleus that can represent such a model in the mutual relations within the
family and with the whole society. (ref from Dr Fathi Osman).
7. History of polygamy dates back to Jews but the monogamous nature of man always
adopted the monogamy as their rule although the Bible granted a man to have more than
one wife.
Jews may not be aware today that polygamy was in their scriptures and practiced by their
ancestors for a long time. According to Slolomon Grayzel in A History of Jews: the
family was considered a sacred Jewish institution. The ties between husband and wife,
parents and child, were highly treasures…that is one reason why Jews practiced
monogamy, in spite of the fact that the Bible permits a man to have more than one wife.
To this day, cases of polygamy occur among the Yemenite Jews and the Sephardi Jews of
the near East. (Dr Fathi Osman).