The Second Wife

Faisal informed his wife Nafisa that he would like to look after her friend Zainab, who recently divorced and left with 4 children. Subsequently, Faisal addressed both friends that he wanted the two families to come together as a family. Zainab was not very comfortable and asked Nafisa what her husband’s word meant. Nafisa reassured her divorced friend Zainab that brother Faisal just wanted an opportunity to do ibadah to please Allah. Following this, the relationship between the two families grew stronger.

Soon, Faisal informed his wife that he wanted to marry Zainab. Nafisa then telephoned her friend Zainab to inform her that her husband Faisal would like to discuss a matter with her, and she handed the phone to her husband. That night brother Faisal only told Zainab he would visit her the next day.

Eventually, Faisal went to see Zainab and proposed. Zainab was confused and discussed the situation with Nafisah but Nafisah reassured her friend that similar situation happened during the time of the prophet. However, when Nafisa heard from a third party that Zainab had agreed to marry Faizal, she became heartbroken. She later approached Zainab and said she was disappointed and never expected that Zainab would agree to the marriage proposal. This, even though Nafisa had encouraged Faisal to seek the hand of Zainab and had even tested Zainab by presenting her with an illustrative hypothetical case of two friends marrying the same husband. Brother Faisal went ahead to marry Zainab in a small but proper Islam marriage ceremony but kept the fact from Nafisa , so as not to cause her pain. He intended to tell Nafeesah at a convenient time. Nafisa got to know about the marriage some months later and was extremely unhappy. She alleged her husband and Zainab were even in a relationship of zinah, prior to the marriage to smear their names. She demanded the marriage be annulled.

Is this scenario a sin? If so, whose sin and what is the redemption?