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What is the ruling of Islamic law regarding a wife staying with her family who do not adhere to the teachings of the religion and drink alcohol, knowing that she might remove her hijab, due to the husband's difficult financial and psychological circumstances?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A wife should be patient with her husband's poverty. If life becomes difficult, she may seek separation, but patience is better for her. She must obey her husband. A wife is not permitted to travel without her husband's permission. If seeking knowledge is an individual obligation (fard ayn), then traveling to acquire it is obligatory, even if it entails the wife removing her hijab, for Allah the Almighty says: "On the Day when every soul will come disputing on its own behalf, and every soul will be recompensed for what it did, and they will not be wronged" (Quran 16:111). However, if the knowledge is a collective obligation (fard kifayah) or supererogatory (nafilah), then assisting the husband and preserving one's religion takes precedence, for Allah the Almighty says: "O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones" (Quran 66:6). The husband is advised to be patient with difficult living conditions, for Allah the Almighty says: "And whoever fears Allah – He will make for him a way out And will provide for him from where he does not expect" (Quran 65:2-3). The wife is advised to be patient and adhere to her religion.

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

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