Muhammad found himself in a difficult situation after he divorced his wife and married the woman who was working as his housemaid. A month after his marriage, his new wife left him. In addition, the wife he divorced and his children and relatives wanted nothing to do with him. He was left alone, nursing a guilty conscience. This is but one example of a growing reality in society. Marriage officials can bear testimony to these marriages taking place. No one can deny the fact that some men fall in love with their maids or need their care and service, especially those who suffer from ailments. Permissible for ill people Dr. Saleh Al-Sadlan, professor of Fiqh “Islamic Jurisprudence” at the Postgraduate Studies department at Imam Muhammad Islamic University in Riyadh, said it is permissible to marry housemaids if men suffer from chronic diseases and do not have anyone to look after them. In these cases, there is nothing wrong if they marry their maids, Al-Sadlan believes. “Such a marriage is good for a man because she will become a wife and maid. The importance of this marriage is that the man can tell her about his needs. Moreover, this will help him to lead a stable life.” Impermissible Al-Sadlan's view is not shared by Dr. Khaled Al-Mosleh, a researcher in Shariah. He denounced the practice in general, stressing that this kind of marriage is impermissible because of the injustice to the new wife. He said that there are some credible motives for this kind of marriage. Some men resort to this marriage to avoid the social stigma of mingling with an unrelated woman, while others marry their maids to satisfy their lusts, which is undoubtedly one of the purposes of marriage. He said that he did not believe that these marriages are a growing phenomenon in society. However, he said these marriages are impermissible because of the great injustice done to the wife, even if she accepts it because of financial need. The injustice may cause her to resort to black magic and sorcery, a malpractice which will affect the entire family. Further opposition Sheikh Abdul Razek Al-Abdalli said that these marriages cannot be totally prohibited, particularly if they meet the conditions as set down in the Shariah. But he said that he was personally opposed to such marriages because the maids are often subjected to fraud and deception. Many husbands fail to fulfill their promises in terms of financial support and care for their children.
