Russia's Islamic authority revokes polygamy ruling after legal pushback

Russia’s Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) has revoked a fatwa permitting religious polygamy following objections from the Prosecutor General’s Office and public backlash.

The fatwa, issued on 19 December by the Council of Ulema, allowed Muslim men to marry up to four wives under specific conditions, such as a wife’s inability to have children due to health or age, or refusal to bear children. The ruling required all wives to be informed of one another’s existence, granting women the right to divorce if this condition was violated.

The council defended the fatwa, claiming it aligned with Islamic traditions and focused solely on religious relationships, not formal civil marriages prohibited by Article 14 of Russia’s Family Code. Deputy Chairman and Moscow Mufti Ildar Alyautdinov argued that it aimed to support women and children in religious unions without conflicting with state laws on marriage registration.

However, on Monday, the Prosecutor General’s Office formally requested its annulment, citing conflicts with Russian legislation and state family policies that promote traditional values. An unnamed Interfax source stated, “The state respects the internal regulations of religious organizations if these regulations do not contradict the legislation of the Russian Federation.”

The source also recalled that in accordance with Articles 38 and 72 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the family and the institution of marriage is defined as “a union of a man and a woman are under the protection of the state.”

Faced with legal and public criticism, SAM reversed the ruling. Chairman Shamil Alyautdinov, who is the brother of Ildar, announced the decision via Telegram, attributing it to the prosecutor’s intervention and societal reaction.

“This is God’s will, and the Ulama Council of Russia’s Spiritual Administration of Muslims sees no reason to start an argument over this,” he stated.

READ: Russia’s top Islamic authority permits polygamy for Muslim men