What is the ruling of Islamic law regarding a wife staying with her husband who is addicted to alcohol and drugs, who has divorced her multiple times, and who wishes to evict her from the home, while she fears homelessness with her four children?
If a husband divorces his wife more than three times, she becomes irrevocably separated from him and is not lawful for him until she marries another husband, as Allah, the Most High, says: "And if he has divorced her [for the third time], then she is not lawful to him afterward until she marries another husband." (Quran 2:230). It is not permissible for the wife to remain with him in the same house with shared facilities because she has become a stranger to him, and his cohabitation with her in this state is considered adultery. She must leave him immediately, especially if he beats her, harms her, and abuses drugs. She can seek assistance from Muslims in general or refer the matter of her children's maintenance to the Sharia court to compel the father to provide it. As for describing oneself as an orphan (yateem), this term is applied to one whose father died before they reached puberty.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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