What is the legal (Sharia) waiting period for a wife awaiting her husband, and is it permissible for her to perform a ritual purification (tahara) to lose sensation due to her husband's absence?

It is not permissible for a husband to be absent from his wife for more than six months without an excuse, unless she consents. If the wife requests his return after this period, it is obligatory for him to comply. If he insists on remaining absent, she has the right to seek divorce. As for female circumcision (khitan), it is commendable for a woman if she has not been circumcised before, and it must be performed by a woman, while observing the Prophetic guidance: "Do not cut deeply, for that is more pleasing to the woman and more beloved to the husband." It is advisable to inform the husband of the situation and request his return or that he bring her to him, and to seek Allah's help, fast, and recite the Qur'an to overcome the period of separation, while emphasizing the prohibition of masturbation and the obligation to abandon it.