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Is it permissible to bring one's wife to live in Britain, considering the potential risks of temptation (fitna) and moral deviation, and the husband's responsibility for his wife? Or is it better to divorce her and marry a Muslim girl raised in Britain who is committed to Islam, or to keep the wife in her Muslim country despite the difficulty of that?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is forbidden for you to bring your wife to a foreign country if you fear fitna (temptation/strife) for her. Indeed, it is not permissible to reside in lands of disbelief unless one is safe from fitna, capable of performing religious rituals, and there is a need or necessity. You must review your residency status in this country; if the conditions are not met, you must leave it. As for divorcing your wife and marrying another, it will not solve the problem, because fitna and laws do not differentiate between women. The ideal solution is for you to leave and join your wife in her country. You must fulfill all of your wife's rights in your absence, and you are not permitted to be absent from her for more than six months without her permission, except out of necessity. Your wife is not obligated to serve your family. To guard against people being tempted by her, she can draw a veil over her face.

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

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