How did the Syrian Law of Personal Status regulate a husband’s ability to take a second wife?

The Syrian Law of Personal Status (1953) regulated a husband’s ability to take a second wife by reinterpreting Qur'anic verses that were traditionally viewed as moral exhortations, transforming them into legally enforceable conditions.1

While classical jurists considered the requirement to provide for multiple wives a matter of a husband's conscience, Syrian reformers established this as a positive legal condition precedent to polygamy. Under this law, a man must obtain permission from a court to enter into a second marriage. The qadi (judge) is empowered to withhold this permission if it is established that the husband is not in a financial position to support both wives. This requirement is further supported by administrative regulations that mandate the official registration of marriages.1