What is the Muslim community's responsibility toward a husband who abandons his pregnant wife and refuses to support her, especially if the wife has no legal guardian because she comes from a non-Muslim family, and does living in a non-Muslim country justify taking no action?

It is regrettable that there are Muslims who do not embody the ethics of Islam, especially in non-Muslim countries, which distorts the image of Islam. A Muslim husband should be a role model for his wife and her family, not someone who alienates them from Islam by his behavior. Some marry with the intention of divorce or to obtain residency, then abandon their wives after achieving their purpose.

One of the greatest rights a wife has over her husband is financial support (nafaqah). It is by this that he earns his guardianship, as Allah Almighty says: (Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property) (An-Nisa: 34). And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: (That you feed her when you feed yourself, and clothe her when you clothe yourself). Financial support is obligatory even for a pregnant divorcee. If the wife cuts off her own financial support due to her husband, it remains a debt upon him. It is permissible for the wife to take from his money for support without his knowledge if he is stingy.

Abandoning the wife is permissible when there are reasons for it, such as insubordination after admonition, but it should not be by leaving the house. No matter how the abandonment differs, the husband does not cut off financial support for her while she is in his house. However, if she is insubordinate and leaves, she is not entitled to financial support, but the financial support for pregnancy remains obligatory upon the father.

Muslims must bear their responsibility towards this wife, especially since her family are disbelievers, and the Muslim community is like one body that shows mercy and compassion. The husband should either hold her honorably or release her kindly, and it is not lawful for him to leave her in a state of suspension. He must be compelled to provide financial support, and we ask Allah to guide the husband and grant patience to the wife.