Is it permissible for a woman to request divorce due to her husband's heavy debts?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
The following message was received by the program from one of the brother listeners who preferred not to have his name mentioned. He asks a collection of questions, among which is a question that says: Is it permissible for a woman to address her husband with a demand for divorce if he has a lot of debt, and she has children from him, and she fears that he may pass away or that she may pass away? Please guide us regarding this issue. May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh:
It is not permissible for a woman to request divorce from her husband on the pretext that he has many debts, for Allah the Exalted may facilitate the repayment of the debts. The matter is settled. And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:[Al-Baqarah 2:280]. And as long as he is fulfilling her rights and what is obligatory for him toward her, she has no concern with his debts or the obligations upon him. If this door were opened, many women would not remain with their husbands, for few are free from debt. We seek help from Allah. But having good opinion of Allah the Exalted should be the guide for everyone. Yes.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. Her fear when she demanded divorce, O Shaykh Salih, was that she would inherit this debt. She has children, and the estate is small. She also seeks your advice.
The Shaykh:
The debt is not upon her, and she is not responsible for it. If her husband dies and has debts, she is not responsible for this debt. Praise be to Allah. The debt remains in the liability of the debtor. If he has an estate, it is paid from his estate. If he has no estate, the debts remain in his liability. If one of his relatives, or one of his Muslim brothers, or one of the benefactors volunteers to pay the debts on his behalf, that is a good thing, and it is cooperation in righteousness and piety, and clearing the liability of the deceased Muslim. Yes.
The following message was received by the program from one of the brother listeners who preferred not to have his name mentioned. He asks a collection of questions, among which is a question that says: Is it permissible for a woman to address her husband with a demand for divorce if he has a lot of debt, and she has children from him, and she fears that he may pass away or that she may pass away? Please guide us regarding this issue. May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh:
It is not permissible for a woman to request divorce from her husband on the pretext that he has many debts, for Allah the Exalted may facilitate the repayment of the debts. The matter is settled. And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:
And if someone is in hardship, then [let there be] postponement until [a time of] ease.
وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍThe questioner:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. Her fear when she demanded divorce, O Shaykh Salih, was that she would inherit this debt. She has children, and the estate is small. She also seeks your advice.
The Shaykh:
The debt is not upon her, and she is not responsible for it. If her husband dies and has debts, she is not responsible for this debt. Praise be to Allah. The debt remains in the liability of the debtor. If he has an estate, it is paid from his estate. If he has no estate, the debts remain in his liability. If one of his relatives, or one of his Muslim brothers, or one of the benefactors volunteers to pay the debts on his behalf, that is a good thing, and it is cooperation in righteousness and piety, and clearing the liability of the deceased Muslim. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 4859- هل يحق للمرأة أن تطلب الطلاق لكثرة ديون زوجها - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.