Is a wife obliged to obey a husband who does not respect her and insults her, and is it permissible for a woman to defend herself when he abuses and curses her?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
A wife must obey her husband in what is right, and his ill-treatment of her does not justify her disobedience to him. If the husband assaults her by striking her, she is permitted to defend herself. If he insults her, she is permitted to respond in kind, though patience is better. If the wife is harmed by staying with him, she may refer the matter to the judge to restrain him from harming her, or to order him to divorce her. Good companionship must prevail between the spouses.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/112458
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 112458
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy