Lagos, Nigeria
During break, the discussion—which had nearly turned into a debate between the female students—could be heard from a classroom in a madrasa with faded Arabic calligraphy painted on the walls. The students, aged between thirteen and fifteen, were seated in rows, chatting animatedly while their teacher was away.
"I heard that one of our teachers married a second wife last week. Barakallahu fih," said a cheerful voice from the second row. A few girls giggled softly.
"I don't understand why he has to marry another wife when he has one already. Men can never be contented," said Amina, shaking her head, her voice laced with irritation.
"I was about to say the same," added another voice, a little louder. "At the end, they'd claim they're practicing Sunnah. Are there no other Sunnah that can be practiced?"
Several girls nodded in agreement, one of them letting out a quiet, sarcastic laugh.
"I believe if they are capable, they can marry a second wife, as it was mentioned in the Qur'an," Zahra said calmly, brushing a loose thread from her veil.
A few heads turned toward her.
"Can you be a second wife?" asked another voice, with a curious smirk.
"Of course not," Zahra replied, her tone thoughtful. "But I can allow my husband to marry one if he wants in the future. It cannot be that bad…"
"It won't be bad if they live in different houses," said another voice, resting her chin on her palm.
"Why can't they live in the same house? It will be interesting to have many people in the house," Zahra said, smiling lightly.
"Do you even know what you're talking about?" another voice replied sharply. "All those religious men don't even put their wives in the same house."
"This is the main reason I don't like very religious men," Amina said, folding her arms. "They always make sure to marry up to four wives. I believe if they had the opportunity to marry ten wives, they'd jump at it."
"Exactly," agreed another voice. "I wonder if the second, third, fourth wives they marry don't have any sense. They're shameless to me. Home wreckers are the actual wreckers for them."
"I don't think they're home wreckers," Zahra said gently. "It's just… they met their husband who already has a wife."
Even though I'm not against polygamy," another voice chimed in, "I know it's really not easy. But if you want to marry a person that practices Sunnah, you have to contend with it."
"I can never marry a Sunnah man," Amina said firmly, glancing around the group. "I want to marry a religious man—not very religious—but someone who knows his religion well. If you marry a Sunnah man, all you will be doing is reading Qur'an and Hadith morning and night.
"I want to marry a very religious man," Zahra said, eyes glowing with certainty, "even if I'll be practicing my religion day and night. All I don't want is becoming a housewife."
Even though l love my religion and l want to be a good Muslim, second wife is not an option for me or my future husband. Zahra you're still a bit young, you'll understand when you grow up.
The discussion dragged on till the end of break.