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What is the religious ruling regarding a wife who deliberately disobeys her husband's commands and leaves the house despite his forbidding her?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Marital life is built upon understanding and family stability, and religion should be the foundation for interaction between spouses. The wife should know that guardianship (qawamah) is in the hands of the man. Allah the Almighty says: "Men are guardians over women by virtue of what Allah has preferred some of them over others, and by virtue of what they spend of their wealth." If a wife disobeys her husband in what is right and proper, she is considered disobedient (nashiz). To deal with her, one should first admonish her and remind her of Allah, then forsake her in bed, then strike her lightly (without causing injury), then send two arbiters for reconciliation, and the last resort is divorce. Allah the Almighty says: "As for those [wives] from whom you fear defiance, admonish them, and abandon them in bed, and strike them. But if they obey you, then seek no means against them. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted and Grand. And if you fear a breach between the two, then appoint an arbiter from his people and an arbiter from her people. If they both desire reconciliation, Allah will cause reconciliation between them. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Acquainted."

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

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