Who is responsible for returning the wife: her father, who took her from the house without the husband's knowledge, or the husband himself, knowing that he did not expel her?

If the wife's leaving the home is an act of defiance (nushooz) —due to the husband's permitted striking— then the husband is not obliged to bring her back, and she has no right to leave the home or obey her father in this regard. In this case, she is not entitled to maintenance unless she returns to her husband's house.

The permitted striking occurs after admonition and abandonment. If these are ineffective, it is permissible to strike her with a non-severe blow that does not break a bone or disfigure a limb. Severe striking is not permissible.