What is the ruling regarding a wife who refuses to sleep with her husband, stays awake all night and sleeps all day, refuses to obey him concerning covering her face when going out, leaves her house without his permission, and refuses to return after a revocable divorce?

A wife's refusal to share the marital bed and her leaving the house without permission establish her 'nushuz' (disobedience). If advice, shunning, and light striking are ineffective, divorce is the preferred option. If the wife is divorced with a revocable divorce and persists in her 'nushuz', she can be divorced again as long as she is within her 'iddah' (waiting period), and this divorce would be effective, although it is considered an innovative (bid'i) divorce. However, if the judge issues the divorce after reviewing the situation, it is an irrevocable divorce ('bain'), and no further divorce can be issued to her; a new marriage contract would be required to remarry her. The deferred dowry ('mu'akhkhar sadaq') is a right of the wife and a debt upon the husband that is not forfeited by 'nushuz' or divorce, unless she voluntarily waives it. The husband may pressure the disobedient wife to ransom herself from him by forfeiting the deferred dowry or more, though it is recommended that the 'khul'' (divorce at wife's instance) not exceed what he paid her.