Question Summary:
I am confused about the prohibition with regards to marrying infertile women.

Question Detail:

I read on an Islamic forum the following:

“People (Ulema) i’ve asked about have said, if a man is able to maintain an extra wife then marry again but if not then divorce the first one and marry a pious fertile wife.  Now i’ve not found anything in Shariah that says a woman needs to be divorced just because she is infertile, but Sunnah is to marry fertile women.  If women don’t like this ruling of Islam, then tough.”

You can see in the Hadīth Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam didn’t want the Muslims to marry infertile women, even though he came to him three times i.e. he must have “loved” her .  Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam could have said, “O.K. marry her but then marry someone else for children, or marry her and then “adopt” a child.  Ruling was “…marry the one who is loving and fertile.”
One could also interpret the Hadīth to mean the woman in question (the infertile one) was loving towards the man BUT Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam said to marry someone who is “loving AND fertile” i.e. love isn’t enough.”
How can the mercy for both worlds (Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam) show such incompassion?  I don’t believe he (Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam) would do such a thing, so I am really confused about this.  Please explain as I myself may be infertile.

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Every human being is tested by Allāh Ta’ālā from different angles and aspects.  Some are tested through wealth and others through health.   
If we look into Islāmic history, we will see that many great women were incapable of conceiving children.  In the Qurān Allāh Ta’ālā states the condition of Zakariyyā Alaihissalām’s wife:
وَامْرَأَتِي عَاقِرٌ (سورة ال عمران, اية 40)
Translation: (Zakariyyah Alaihissalām said) And my wife is barren. 
(Qurān 3/40)
Also, when angels were sent to Ebrāhīm Alaihissalām to give him the good news of (the birth of) a knowledgeable boy, Ebrāhīm Alaihissalām’s wife exclaimed out of bewilderment:
وَقَالَتْ عَجُوزٌ عَقِيمٌ  (سورة الذاريات, اية 29)
(How can I have a child when I am) a barren old woman? 
(Qurān 51/29)
 
If we look into the life of Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam, we see that he married a lady also who did not bear any children, namely Hadhrat Ayesha Radhiyallāhu Anhā.
In principle, it is permissible for a male to marry an infertile woman.[1]
The Hadīth in reference is:
جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ: إِنِّي أَصَبْتُ امْرَأَةً ذَاتَ حَسَبٍ وَجَمَالٍ، وَإِنَّهَا لَا تَلِدُ، أَفَأَتَزَوَّجُهَا، قَالَ: «لَا» ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ الثَّانِيَةَ فَنَهَاهُ، ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ الثَّالِثَةَ، فَقَالَ: «تَزَوَّجُوا الْوَدُودَ الْوَلُودَ فَإِنِّي مُكَاثِرٌ بِكُمُ الْأُمَمَ» (ابو داود, ج 2, ص 220: المكتبة العصرية، صيدا – بيروت)
Translation: One man came to Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam and said: “I have come across a lady of high status and beauty.  However she is infertile.  May I marry her?”  He (Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam) replied: “No”.  The man came a second time and Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam again said: “No”.  Then the man came a third time and Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam replied: “Marry a lady who is very loving and able to bear many children because the large number of my Ummah will be a source of pride over the other nations.” (Abu Dawūd)
The apparent meaning of this Hadīth indicates towards the impermissibility of marrying infertile women.  However, to understand the meaning of a certain Hadīth, one has to find out the actual meaning intended by Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam.  This is the task of the Muhaddithīn (Commentators of Hadīth) who have an overview of various Ahādīth in front of them.  After researching various Ahādīth, they inform us of the actual meaning of the Hadīth.  
In this Hadīth Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam’s prohibition to marry the infertile lady was not a verdict to express the impermissibility of marrying infertile women. [2] Since the large numbers of the Ummah is a source of pride for this Ummah on the Day of Judgement, Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam expressed this to the Sahābi. 
Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam knew the personal condition of this Sahābī. The reply of Nabī Sallallāhu Alaihi Wa Sallam was in the Sahābī’s best interest. 
As believers we should not fall into the traps of those who strive to create misconceptions in the hearts of believers with regards to their religion.  Hence, if any doubt does find place in one’s heart, one should immediately make Du’ā to Allāh that He removes the whispers and one must immediately get in contact with reliable scholars and understand Dīn from them.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mawlana Abdul Azīm bin Abdur Rahman,
Student Darul Iftaa
US
 
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net