I have a close friend who confided in me that she married a man who was already married. His first wife lives in Pakistan with their three children and, from what I understand, she did not know about this second marriage and did not give any form of consent. My friend believes that second marriages like this are permissible in Islam and she uses this to justify the situation. However, from what she’s told me, there were secrets, lack of transparency and involved a lot of emotional chaos.

She recently had a baby with him and now lives overseas with him. He divides his time and responsibilities between both families. But whenever she talks to me, her story is full of red flags. She is often unhappy, constantly complaining about him yet, in the same breath, defending and justifying his behaviour. It’s exhausting to listen to and I feel deeply sad for everyone involved, especially the children in this complicated........

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