What is the ruling of Islamic law and what should be done regarding a father's insistence that his son's wife uncover her head and shake hands with the husband's two brothers, despite the couple's agreement to adhere to Islamic guidelines to avoid severing ties of kinship with the angry father?
A woman is not permitted to display her adornments or shake hands with her husband's brothers, because they are not her mahram (unmarriageable kin). Islamic law has warned more strongly against leniency with a husband's relatives than with others, for "the brother-in-law is death" due to the ease of temptation and private seclusion with him. The husband must not obey his parents in this matter. The husband should gently and courteously explain the Islamic ruling to his father. If his father becomes angry, he should stop advising him, but he must not obey him in disobeying Allah. The wife has the right to demand a separate dwelling, and she is not obligated to live with her husband's family.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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