What is the ruling on a husband preventing his wife from visiting her relatives (paternal aunt, maternal aunt, paternal uncle), even in cases of illness or death, and is the wife sinful if she visits them against his will?

A husband should not prevent his wife from visiting her relatives without a valid, recognized Shar'i (Islamic legal) reason. However, if he does prevent her, she is obliged to obey him, especially if the prevention is for a Shar'i matter. The wife can maintain ties with her relatives through other means, such as phone calls, as maintaining kinship ties is achieved through what people customarily recognize. Both spouses are encouraged to foster understanding, good companionship, affection, and mercy, and for each to help the other in honoring their parents and maintaining ties of kinship.