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What is the ruling on a wife forsaking her husband who rejects the niqab and prevents her from going out and working, while he abandons prayer and does not care for his children? Should the wife forsake him in her family's home or not?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Prayer is the pillar of faith, and abandoning it is a great sin. Covering the face is obligatory, according to the preponderant opinion. Therefore, it is not permissible to obey the husband if he prevents his wife from covering her face, because obedience is only in what is good, and there is no obedience to a creature in disobedience to God. The husband must be advised to pray; otherwise, the wife is allowed to seek a divorce. As for the husband's uncle who incites against women who wear the niqab, he should be advised and warned, for the fact that criminals conceal themselves with the niqab does not justify waging war on Islamic rulings. Sisters must persevere in wearing the hijab and niqab, clarifying that it is a religious obligation and a personal right. The husband should be reminded of the hadith: "Whoever seeks Allah's pleasure despite people's displeasure, Allah will suffice him against the people. And whoever seeks people's pleasure despite Allah's displeasure, Allah will entrust him to the people."

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

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