Is it permissible to engage in a relationship with another woman, short of committing unlawful sexual intercourse (zina) through penetration, in order to fulfill sexual needs, in the event that the wife deprives her husband of his lawful right?

Fatwa No. 176254 contains directives for one whose wife does not satisfy him and who cannot marry another. Engaging in a relationship with a foreign woman, even if it does not reach actual fornication, is a forbidden and sinful relationship and is considered taking secret lovers, which Islam has prohibited. Allah Almighty says: "being chaste, not unlawful sexual intercourse, nor those who take secret lovers." The Prophetic Sunnah has warned against the temptation of women, so it is not permissible for a woman to refuse to respond to her husband's call to bed without a valid excuse; otherwise, she would be disobedient (nashiz). The Sharia has clarified how to address disobedience in Fatwa No. 30586. As for masturbation, one can refer to Fatwa No. 33352.