Translation of the meanings Ayah 129 Surah An-Nisā’ - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

Ayah: 129

وَلَن تَسۡتَطِيعُوٓاْ أَن تَعۡدِلُواْ بَيۡنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ وَلَوۡ حَرَصۡتُمۡۖ فَلَا تَمِيلُواْ كُلَّ ٱلۡمَيۡلِ فَتَذَرُوهَا كَٱلۡمُعَلَّقَةِۚ وَإِن تُصۡلِحُواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورٗا رَّحِيمٗا

(129) You ˹men˺ would not be equally fair to ˹your˺ women, despite your best efforts^[1013]. So do not lean all the way through ˹to one wife˺ and leave her ˹the other one˺ hanging. That you conciliate and are Mindful, then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

[1013] This provides yet another window into human nature. A man who has more than one wife will inevitably prefer, in his own heart, one over another. However, men are reminded to be Mindful of God and to be moderate and treat their wives on an equal footing. Having said this, it is mandatory for a man to be absolutely even-handed in securing each wife her given marital rights, or else he will do better taking on only one wife: “But should you fear that you would not be fair ˹in your treatment of all your wives˺ then one ˹is enough˺”. (4: 3)