Marrying a second wife?

I asked whether the husband can marry without the first wife's permission, according to the hanafi fiqh, the males I know tend to think they can but I am not so sure any more... I didn't think they could but if they feel they can provide for the two does it make it ok for them to still go ahead without the first wife's permission?

Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

The fatwa of major Arab and Indo-Pak scholars is that it is generally wrong and unwise in our times to marry a second wife, without consulting wise and knowledgeable scholars (even though it is in itself permitted), because of the harm and mess that inevitably results:

a) the harm to the first wife;

b) the troubles with the second wife when the first is upset;

c) the harm of not giving both their legal, emotional, and material rights;

d) the harm to family relations;

e) and, also vitally, the harm to one’s children…

Marrying another woman is not just a question of providing for both…

Faraz Rabbani
Wassalam.