What should a man do if he married a second wife, and his first wife refused this, left the marital home, deprived him of his children, and demands that he divorce the second wife as a condition for her return, knowing that he does not wish to divorce her? And how can he see his children? And is it permissible for him to deprive her of maintenance?

The wife's departure from the marital home and her request for divorce merely because her husband married another woman is an act of disobedience (maʿṣiyah), and she must repent for it, because Islamic law (Sharīʿah) permits polygyny. Her request for divorce in this situation is a sin, due to the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Any woman who asks her husband for divorce without any [valid] reason, the scent of Paradise will be forbidden to her." Furthermore, her demand that the other wife be divorced is also an act of disobedience, due to his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "A woman should not ask for the divorce of her sister." If she repents and returns to obeying her husband and accepts the situation, there is no problem. If she persists in her stance, she is disobedient (nashiz) and has no right to maintenance. She also has no right to prevent the husband from seeing his children.