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Is my action correct in preventing my wife from her marital rights after discovering her betrayal, and what should I do to correct my potential mistake?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The husband must be enjoined to amend his wife's conduct through gentle admonition, and to discipline her within the bounds of Islamic law if necessary. If she repents, he should not divorce her, because repentance nullifies what preceded it. But if she persists in her actions, there is no impediment to divorce for fear of her committing immorality.

The rights of a revocably divorced woman include maintenance (nafaqah), clothing (kiswah), and related provisions. As for an irrevocably divorced woman (bā'in), she has no right to maintenance or lodging unless she is pregnant. The dowry (ṣadāq) is obligatory after consummation; if consummation has not occurred, then half of it is due.

As for one who gives fatwas (religious edicts) without knowledge, he must know that giving fatwas on matters of Islamic law without insight is a grave danger, for Allah Almighty says: "And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge," and "And do not say about what your tongues falsely describe – 'This is lawful and this is unlawful' – to invent falsehood about Allah." He must guide the one to whom he gave the fatwa. If the man has not divorced, he should guide him to what has been mentioned. If he has divorced, he should inform him of the woman's rights.

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

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