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What is the ruling of Islamic law regarding a wife who incurs debt and acts without her husband's knowledge, treats him poorly due to childlessness, taunts him with her family's wealth, refuses to visit his family, and threatens him by not allowing him to leave unless he procreates or works?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Childbearing is one of the most important objectives of marriage and is a shared right of both spouses. Medical treatment to achieve it is permissible. A husband is not legally obligated to pay for his wife's medical treatment, but it is good companionship to spend on her to the best of his ability. The husband is not obligated to reimburse his wife for what she spent on her treatment, except for what he borrowed from her or authorized her to pay. Childbearing is a right solely for the spouses, and no one else has the right to interfere in it. The wife must obey her husband in what is good, and she should not leave the house without his permission, nor should she raise her voice at him. It is advisable to deal wisely with the wife and her family, overlook mistakes, consider the wife's distress due to delayed childbearing, and assist her in obeying Allah and spending on her treatment as much as is feasible. A wife is not permitted to seek treatment from a male doctor unless it is out of necessity, and with the presence of a mahram to prevent khalwa (private seclusion).

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

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