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Is a man permitted to divorce his adulterous wife a second time if he fears her apostasy from Islam after the divorce, and will he be held responsible for her apostasy?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If the wife insists on lewdness and does not repent, it is not permissible for the husband to keep her, because he would be considered a cuckold (dayyūth), and cuckoldry is one of the major sins. However, if the woman repents with sincere repentance and becomes upright, it is permissible for the husband to keep her, and he will be rewarded for concealing her past. This does not mean it is obligatory for him to keep her; rather, it is an option for him. If the husband divorces her due to adultery, he will not be held accountable for what she commits thereafter.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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