Your question needs to be answered from two different perspectives: legal and moral. Looking at the issue from a legal perspective, as a woman can ask for divorce for absolutely any reason whatsoever, it follows that she can ask her husband to divorce her if he wants to keep his second wife. Obviously, this, in effect, would be asking him to divorce his second wife. The man, in response, may or may not divorce his second wife. From a moral perspective, it is indeed everybody's wish to live a life of his/her liking and according to his/her aspirations. We strive to achieve this goal all through our lives. However, it seems that there is hardly anyone who is successful. Disappointments come about, accidents happen, uncalled for incidents take place, expectations fail and the unexpected occur, all in the face of our, seemingly, 'flawless' precautions and 'airtight' plans. This is all due to the fact that this life, from its beginning till its end is a test for us. Man, in this life, does not always get what he wants. Had it been so, this world would itself have been Paradise. One aspect of the test of this life is our behavior in the face of such disappointments, failures, accidents and uncalled for incidents. Under such circumstances, we may react in an aggressive manner and strike back with all our might - even if such an aggressive out burst may hurt our own selves in the long run. Nevertheless, the pleasure of inflicting pain, in return of being inflicted by pain is enough to blind us from the long-term consequences of our actions. On the contrary, we may try to control our aggressive out burst and pacify our reactions. We may, in the face of, seemingly, the most difficult of circumstances decide to sincerely 'give it a try' and 'make it work'. An aspiring athlete, who loses his legs in an accident may become suicidal or may in the darkest of circumstances, try to find a light to brighten his life once more. For a Muslim, however, the ultimate 'light to brighten his life' is his faith in the Almighty. A Muslim knows that whatever 'good' or 'bad' that has come his/her way, whoever may ultimately, have been the source of such 'good' and/or 'bad', is a test from the Almighty. A Muslim, therefore, would try his utmost to opt for that behavior, in the face of all disappointments in life, which is - morally and spiritually - the most suited and which evidences his unshakeable faith in the all encompassing mercy, providence, wisdom and justice of his Lord. In the light of the foregoing stipulations, I would suggest that if a man, in the face of all the efforts of an existing wife, ultimately marries another woman [1] , the first wife should now try to accept the situation and make the best out of such an uncalled for incident. A sincere resolve to maintain a high moral standard and to play a positive role in softening the tension that is likely to entail such an incident, shall insha'Allah have its positive bearings in this world as well as in the life hereafter. Now that the marriage has taken place, I would suggest that rather than considering the second wife an adversary, all efforts should be directed toward the development of a more peaceful and a congenial environment. Nevertheless, if all efforts turn out to be a cry in the dark, divorce may ultimately be resorted to. 10 th May 2000 [1] The answer is based on the assumption that the second marriage is legally allowed in the place of residence. Answer published by Moiz Amjad