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Is it permissible for the father and husband to force the wife to remain with a husband she does not desire? Who is responsible if she falls into sin because of this? Is it permissible to refuse intimacy in this situation? What is the ruling on disobeying the husband, and how should he be dealt with? Is it permissible to pray for deliverance from him and for marriage to someone better? Is it permissible to pray not to be with him in Paradise?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a woman dislikes her husband due to his bad character or physical appearance, or if an aversion has become firmly established, she has the right to seek khulʿ (divorce at the wife's instance). The father does not have the right to force his daughter to stay with a husband she does not desire, and the husband is not permitted to refuse khulʿ. It is not permissible for the wife to refuse her husband's bed or obedience in what is good as long as she remains his wife; rather, she should hasten to seek khulʿ if she feels aversion. It is permissible to supplicate against an oppressive husband or to supplicate for his guidance. A woman should not concern herself with matters of the Hereafter after entering Paradise, for there is no rancor in Paradise. Disliking the husband does not justify the wife transgressing the limits of Allah, and she must strive to seek khulʿ if she is unable to remain with him.

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

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