Question Summary:
There are Imams here in America who are of the opinion that we cannot marry two, or three, or four wives, as stated in the Qur’an, because polygamy is against the law in the US

Question Detail:

There are Imams here in America who are of the opinion that we cannot marry two, or three, or four wives, as stated in the Qur'an, because polygamy is against the law in the US and we must obey those who are in authority over us. Furthermore, they require a muslim couple to marry first before a Judge of the State before they can return to the Masjid to have an Islamic wedding. Can you please give us some direction as to what is correct in Islam?

Answer :

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Jazakallah for writing to the institute to have an appropriate understanding of the injunctions of Shari’a.
Islam as a religion teaches us to respect the laws of non-Islamic governments and to be good law abiding citizens. In today’s time, the laws of many countries have declared polygamy to be illegal.
It should be understood that the Islamic matrimonial system is not exactly identical to a normal civil marriage. According to Shari’a polygamy is permissible and a marriage can be concluded simply by the offer and acceptance taking place in front of two males or one male and two female witnesses.
And Allah knows best
Wassalam
Ml. Ehzaz Ajmeri,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah