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What is the ruling on contemplating divorcing a barren wife who refuses polygyny and practices sorcery and witchcraft?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A woman's resorting to sorcerers and practicing magic is a heinous evil, and she must repent, seek forgiveness, and immediately cease this act. This is due to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "He is not of us who practices evil omen or has it practiced for him, or who practices divination or has it practiced for him, or who practices magic or has it practiced for him. And whoever comes to a soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad." The husband must forbid her from these actions, as he is responsible for her, and he must follow the guidance of Allah in reforming her: "As for those [wives] from whom you fear defiance, admonish them, forsake them in beds, and strike them." As for divorcing her, it is permissible, but it is preferable to keep her and marry another. It is also permissible to abandon her for a period of time so that she may realize her error.

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

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