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What is the Sharia ruling regarding a wife who repeatedly leaves her husband's house without his permission and demands a divorce, and does not listen to her husband concerning her clothing and work, and refuses to have children, and considers her stay at home a confinement for her? And does a man have a say in his wife's clothing and work? And is the wife obligated to prepare food, clean the house, and create a suitable atmosphere for her husband?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A wife must obey her husband and treat him well. It is forbidden for her to leave his house without his permission, and she must wear modest clothing. Her family must enjoin good upon her and be supportive of her in righteousness. It is not permissible for her to refuse to have children if her husband commands it, unless there is an unbearable harm. A man is responsible for his wife and is a guardian over her. Regarding the issue of a wife serving her husband, there is a difference of opinion among scholars. A husband must have his personality and his word in the house. If a wife is disobedient (nashiz), she does not deserve maintenance or housing. The ways to remedy a disobedient wife are: admonition, then abandonment in bed, then non-violent physical discipline.

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

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