Back to search

What should I do, as I have vowed to fast on Mondays and Thursdays for two months, and my husband prevents me from fasting, even though I know it is obligatory to obtain his approval for voluntary fasting, but I made the vow at a time when I was terrified?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A woman is not permitted to observe a voluntary fast while her husband is present except with his permission, due to the saying of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: "It is not lawful for a woman to fast while her husband is present except with his permission." As for a vowed fast (ṣawm al-nadhr), the husband may order her to break her fast if it harms his right, and she is obliged to obey him. However, if it does not harm him, he does not have that right. The Hanbalis are of the opinion that a wife should not observe a vowed fast at all without her husband's permission. In the event that the husband forbids the fast, the wife must expiate her vow with an expiation for an oath (kaffārat yamīn).

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy