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What is the ruling of Islamic law regarding a husband leaving his wife and traveling far away, while he knows that she is distressed and requests his return, and that he does not have a job in his home country, and he has a seven-month-old daughter?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible for a husband to travel away from his wife for a religiously sanctioned or permissible purpose, even if she does not give permission. However, he must observe her rights, including custody (of children), ensuring her chastity, and providing for her financial support. Scholars have set six months as the maximum period for absence without her permission, based on the action of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. It is preferable to take the wife along if possible; otherwise, he must return after six months or provide what fulfills her needs. If he fails to do so, she has the right to present the matter to a judge. If she forgives him and remains patient, we advise her to occupy herself with religious knowledge, memorizing the Qur'an and Hadith, and studying the biographies of the righteous predecessors, and to stay away from provocations and idleness.

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

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