[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Dark Ages](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages) › [State papers](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.admin) › [Āʾīn-i Akbarī](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.admin.ain-i-akbari) › [The Ain i Akbari (Blochmann, Jarrett)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.admin.ain-i-akbari~en-blochmann-jarrett) › 132.1.7 # The Institutes of Akbar 132.1.7 The Áín i Akbari (Blochmann, Jarrett) 132.1.7 - **Language:** English ### [132.1.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.admin.ain-i-akbari~en-blochmann-jarrett.132.1.7) “At one of the above-mentioned meetings, His Majesty asked how many freeborn women a man was legally allowed to marry (by nikáh). The lawyers answered that four was the limit fixed by the prophet. The emperor thereupon remarked that from the time he had come of age, he had not restricted himself to that number, and in justice to his wives, of whom he had a large number, both freeborn and slaves, he now wanted to know what remedy the law provided for his case. Most expressed their opinions, when the emperor remarked that Shaikh ’Abdunnabí had once told him that one of the Mujtahids had had as many as nine wives. Some of the ’Ulamás present replied that the Mujtahid alluded to was Ibn Abí Lailá; and that some had even allowed eighteen from a too literal translation of the Qorán verse (Qor. Sur. IV, 3), “Marry whatever women ye like, two and two, and three and three, and four and four;” but this was improper. His Majesty then sent a message to Shaikh ’Abdunnabí, who replied that he had merely wished to point out to Akbar that a difference of opinion existed on this point among lawyers, but that he had not given a fatwa, in order to legalize irregular marriage proceedings. This annoyed His Majesty very much. “The Shaikh,” he said, “told me at that time a very different thing from what he now tells me.” He never forgot this. - [Previous: 132.1.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.admin.ain-i-akbari~en-blochmann-jarrett.132.1.6) - [Next: 132.1.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.admin.ain-i-akbari~en-blochmann-jarrett.132.1.8) - [Up: 132.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.admin.ain-i-akbari~en-blochmann-jarrett.132.1) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.admin.ain-i-akbari~en-blochmann-jarrett.132.1.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.admin.ain-i-akbari~en-blochmann-jarrett.132.1.7) · Pramāṇa