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The question

How do I deal with my mother's insistence that I stay with her, despite it causing my previous divorce from my husband, and what are the limits of showing her dutifulness?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The mother's right is great, and honoring her is among the most obligatory duties. However, obedience to her is in what is good and permissible, and there is no obedience to her in what violates Sharia or harms the wife. The husband's right to obedience takes precedence over the mother's right when there is a conflict. Therefore, obedience to the mother is not obligatory if she commands the abandonment or separation from the husband. Rather, honoring her should be in a way that does not infringe upon the husband's right. Al-Mardawi said: "She is not obligated to obey her parents in separating from her husband, nor in visiting [them] and the like, rather her husband's obedience is more rightful." Ibn Taymiyyah said: "When a woman marries, her husband has more authority over her than her parents, and obedience to her husband is more obligatory upon her."

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

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