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Is a wife considered sinful if she detests living with her husband and repeatedly requests a divorce, but he refuses, and her detestation leads to her inability to fully obey him?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A woman is permitted to seek Khul' (divorce initiated by the wife) or divorce if she dislikes her husband due to his character (khuluq), physical appearance (khalq), religiosity, old age, or weakness, and she fears that she will not be able to fulfill God's rights in obeying him. This is based on the Almighty's saying: "But if you fear that they will not uphold the limits of Allah, then there is no blame upon either of them concerning what she gives up [to obtain her freedom]." It is recommended for the husband to accede to her request if the Khul' is permissible. However, if the husband does not agree to the Khul', the wife is not permitted to deny him his rights; she must obey him in what is good. If she is unable to do so, she may refer the matter to the judiciary. If the marital situation between the spouses is stable and the aversion is temporary, then separation is not permissible. Marital life requires patience, overlooking faults, and balancing good deeds with bad ones. Homes are not built on love alone, but rather on care, conscientiousness, and good companionship.

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

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