Is the prayer of a wife who refuses her husband's sexual advances accepted on the pretext of awaiting prayer and fearing that its time will pass due to ghusl, knowing that her refusal angers the husband?
The religious duty of a Muslim is to perform prayer on time, and for men, to pray in congregation at the mosque unless there is a valid excuse. If a wife abstains from intercourse because of insufficient time for prayer, for example, if responding to her husband would lead to the prayer time expiring, then this is a tribulation for which she will be rewarded. However, if there is ample time, it is not permissible for her to abstain, because fulfilling her husband's request for intercourse is one of his most emphasized rights. Otherwise, she would be considered defiant (nashiz) and sinful, and her prayer would be at risk of not being accepted, as per the Hadith: "There are three whose prayers do not rise above their heads by a span: a man who leads people in prayer when they dislike him, a woman who goes to bed while her husband is displeased with her..." What is meant by the Hadith is non-acceptance, not non-validity.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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