What is the ruling on a husband who has not had intercourse with his wife for four months and ten days without a reason, and is she forbidden to him?

It is obligatory for the husband to treat his wife kindly. Intercourse is one of the most important aspects of kind treatment because it safeguards the woman's chastity, increases progeny, and perpetuates love. It is not permissible for the husband to deprive his wife of intercourse, and it is preferable that his abstention not exceed four days. Abstaining from intercourse with one's wife without an oath is not considered ila' (a vow of abstention), for ila' only occurs when one swears an oath to abstain from intercourse for four months or more.