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Is it permissible to request a divorce or abandon one's husband due to the wife's inability to live in the husband's family home, shared with his brothers, because of the confined space and lack of privacy, knowing that the wife has become distressed by this situation and that the husband's financial status allows for relocation?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is the wife's right that her husband provide her with an independent dwelling, especially if she is harmed by the presence of his brother in the house. He must respond to her request if his brother's presence leads to forbidden acts, and he must consider her feelings and treat her kindly. If she accepts living with his parents, he is not permitted to bring in others who cause harm. She has the right to demand an independent dwelling if her husband's family sees her 'awrah (private parts) or harms her, even if this was stipulated in the contract. She may demand this from him and seek the mediation of respected people. If he does not respond and she is harmed, she has the right to seek divorce. It is not permissible for her to abandon him or be disobedient; rather, she must pursue legitimate means to obtain her right.

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

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