Is it permissible to marry another woman while having a wife and a child, and desiring to marry another due to a lack of love and affection?

The enquirer is advised not to rush into their decision and to avoid letting emotions control them. Regarding the absence of love with the wife, fatwa number 41711 can be consulted. As for the enquirer's attachment to another woman, if it is possible to combine both wives with the ability to be just, then it is permissible, according to the Almighty's saying: ﴿Marry such women as seem good to you, two, three, or four; but if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one﴾ [An-Nisa: 3]. If it is not possible to combine them, then patience with the current wife is better for the enquirer and for his daughter. It must be remembered that the basis for choosing a wife is religiosity and character, and it is not a condition that love be at its highest levels; love can grow with patience and good companionship.

The enquirer must treat his wife kindly and recall the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him: "A believing man should not hate a believing woman; if he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will be pleased with another" narrated by Muslim, and the saying of Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him: "Indeed, the fewest homes are built on love, but people live together with Islam and kindness." If the enquirer cannot be patient, then Allah has permitted him divorce and marriage to whomever he wishes.

Finally, attention is drawn to the danger of establishing a relationship with a foreign woman outside the marital bond. One must stay away from the woman he loves unless he intends to propose to her; then he is permitted to look only at what calls him to marry her.