Polygamy means a system of marriage whereby one person has more than one spouse. Polygamy can be of two types. One is polygamy where a man marries more than one woman, and the other is polyandry, where a woman marries more than one man. In Islam, limited polygamy is permitted; whereas polyandry is completely prohibited.The Qur’an is the only religious book, on the face of this earth, that contains the phrase ‘marry only one’. There is no other religious book that instructs men to have only one wife.The context of this phrase is the following verse from Surah Nisa of the Glorious Qur’an:"Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one." (Al-Qur’an 4:3)

Any woman may be praised for such and such, and dispraised for such and such, this is inevitable, so her husband should not hate her to the extent that he abuses, refrain from copulating with her or even to divorce her. Rather, he must weigh her pros and cons with a proper balance. If he finds that her advantages outweighs her disadvantages then he shall keep her.   

Aishah, the wife of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), is considered one of the greatest scholars in Islam—and for good reason. She conveyed over two thousand narrations of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

 A wife is entitled to be lovingly protected by her husband who should keep her away from places where unbecoming, permissive or corrupt practices are common.

The Rights of the Husband over the Wife from the Quran and Sunnah: _Almighty Allah says in describing the righteous wives: “So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husband's] absence what Allah would have them guard.” (An-Nisa’ : 34) _Abu Hurirah narrated from the Prophet (Peace Be upon Him): “If a woman prays her five (daily prayers), fasts her month (Ramadan), guards her chastity and obeys her husband, it will be said to her: ‘ Enter Paradise by whichever of the gates of Paradise you wish.’”

Prophet Muhammad loved his wife: A few years after his first wife Khadijah passed away, Muhammad got married to Aisha, the daughter of his closest friend Abu-Bakr. Despite his loyalty to his late wife, he loved Aisha and was honest to her. He was asked once by Amr bin Al-Aas (a companion): “Who is the most beloved person to you?" Muhammad replied without hesitation: Aisha.

The rights of the husband over the wife from the Quran and Sunnah:  

This prohibition in the Hadeeth does not require the prohibition of beating at all, but rather proves it, yet it prohibits the severe beating. This is because the woman in her husband`s house is like the female slave in some aspects. Naturally, the woman is submissive and dependant on her husband. But the man has a degree of guardianship and care for her religious and secular affairs; this is why Allah enjoined the wife to obey him unless this leads to the disobedience of Allah the Almighty.

The first thing that every married person must realize that one’s spouse is first and foremost another Muslim. He/she is one’s brother/sister in Islam. Therefore, all the rights that fall upon a Muslim due to the general brotherhood of Islam are also due to one’s spouse.