What is the religious ruling regarding a husband who refuses to grant his wife her legitimate rights, claiming he has spent more on her than she has on him?
A woman is not entitled to seek divorce unless there is harm inflicted upon her by remaining married to her husband, such as her fear of falling short in fulfilling his rights due to his bad character. In such a case, the woman can ransom herself from her husband by returning her dowry or whatever they agree upon. If the woman's desire for divorce is not due to harm from the husband, and the husband does not agree to divorce her freely, then she may waive all or some of her rights in exchange for the divorce. However, if the harm originates from the husband, he is not permitted to take anything in exchange for the divorce. As for calculating travel expenses and the like, this depends on the local custom of the country. If the custom dictates that what the husband spent on his wife, which was not a religious obligation upon him, is considered a debt owed by her, then this custom should be followed; otherwise, it should not. The reference for all these matters is the Sharia courts.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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