I married a man who does not fulfill my rights
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa number ( 13328 )
Q: I am a Muslim woman from the country of Pakistan , aged 27, holding a bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery. I married two years ago and have not been blessed with children up to this moment. I live with my mother in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia continuously since 1394 AH, except for the years of my university studies, which I spent outside the Kingdom. It is worth noting that my mother is divorced and she also lives with her father. I met a colleague of mine during my university days and married him; he is a graduate of the medical college I graduated from in Pakistan . The marriage took place during the training year (internship) that new doctors complete under the regulations for practicing the medical profession without a salary, at one of the accredited hospitals. Since my husband was unable to provide for me and secure suitable housing for me, as he had no independent residence or a fixed and continuous source of income, this situation compelled me to return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to live with my mother, with my husband's prior consent. Our plan and hope were that we would succeed in finding a job for my husband in the Kingdom after he finished his training period (internship), so that we could live under one roof. However, things did not go as we planned, and our attempts failed. My husband was unable to enter the Kingdom for the purpose of working there. Despite this, my husband did not make any notable efforts on his part to obtain a job in Pakistan that I could rely on. On the contrary, he even left the jobs he did get after a short period to look for others.
Finally, exactly one year ago, he decided to stop looking for any work and preferred to stay in his family's home and devote his efforts to continuing his postgraduate studies. He sat for the required exam three times, but he was not successful. In summary, he has not obtained a job to live from, nor has he succeeded in passing the exam to continue his postgraduate studies. Furthermore, he is unable to fulfill his obligations and duties toward me as his wife. My husband has borrowed from me since our marriage up to this moment an amount reaching (80,000) Pakistani rupees, on the hope that he would repay this debt whenever the funds became available to him. Recently, I received a message from him stating that he absolutely cannot repay the debt he owes, as he had previously promised me. The truth is that my husband's family did not approve of our marriage from the very beginning. During the early days of our marriage, a fight broke out between my husband and one of his full brothers, in which sharp instruments (knives) were used; my husband was stabbed in his abdomen, which nearly caused his death. However, my husband told me that this fight had no connection to our marriage, but rather concerned his family's private affairs. This was followed by my husband's mother deciding to expel him from the house. Finally, the family reunited, but they have not
agreed to accept me as the wife of their son up to this moment. Since my husband's financial circumstances do not allow him to provide for me as his wife, and his lack of feeling and interest in fulfilling my physical, material, and emotional desires, in addition to his heavy reliance on me in some material aspects. The days have also revealed to me that my husband is a man who does not appreciate responsibility as he should. The truth is that my husband's family is characterized by violence, harshness, and extreme emotional reactivity, and they are not pleased with my marriage to their son. This means that my remaining or living with this family may cause me harm and expose my safety to certain danger. Moreover, there is no guarantee of avoiding their harm if I move to live with them in their house. And since my husband does not have a separate home of his own—to speak the truth—a fierce feeling of hatred for my husband has finally grown in me for the aforementioned reasons. This led me to repeatedly request divorce from my husband, but he did not respond to my request for divorce. Your Eminence, my problem is summarized in the following points: 1 - My husband has not been able to support me and provide for me since our marriage, and two full years have passed. 2 - There is no expected hope that my husband will obtain a job in the foreseeable future to secure a dignified life for me.
3 - My personal safety is at risk if I am forced to reside with my husband's family under one roof. 4 - My family's situation compels me to live with my mother, who has been divorced since 1408 AH and has two other daughters, and who receives no financial assistance from my father. 5 - I have no source of income to rely on, as I have not yet obtained a job. 6 - My years are passing quickly, and like other women, I desire to form a family, have children, and have a husband who is a helper to me in the vicissitudes of life. 7 - I have come to hate my husband to the extent that I am unable to fulfill my duties toward him as my husband. 8 - Do I have the right to request divorce from my husband? 9 - What is the most appropriate position from the Shari'ah perspective that my husband should take regarding my request to separate from him? And peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.
A: If the matter is as you have described, you have the right to request divorce, and there is no sin upon you in doing so.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: I am a Muslim woman from the country of Pakistan , aged 27, holding a bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery. I married two years ago and have not been blessed with children up to this moment. I live with my mother in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia continuously since 1394 AH, except for the years of my university studies, which I spent outside the Kingdom. It is worth noting that my mother is divorced and she also lives with her father. I met a colleague of mine during my university days and married him; he is a graduate of the medical college I graduated from in Pakistan . The marriage took place during the training year (internship) that new doctors complete under the regulations for practicing the medical profession without a salary, at one of the accredited hospitals. Since my husband was unable to provide for me and secure suitable housing for me, as he had no independent residence or a fixed and continuous source of income, this situation compelled me to return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to live with my mother, with my husband's prior consent. Our plan and hope were that we would succeed in finding a job for my husband in the Kingdom after he finished his training period (internship), so that we could live under one roof. However, things did not go as we planned, and our attempts failed. My husband was unable to enter the Kingdom for the purpose of working there. Despite this, my husband did not make any notable efforts on his part to obtain a job in Pakistan that I could rely on. On the contrary, he even left the jobs he did get after a short period to look for others.
Finally, exactly one year ago, he decided to stop looking for any work and preferred to stay in his family's home and devote his efforts to continuing his postgraduate studies. He sat for the required exam three times, but he was not successful. In summary, he has not obtained a job to live from, nor has he succeeded in passing the exam to continue his postgraduate studies. Furthermore, he is unable to fulfill his obligations and duties toward me as his wife. My husband has borrowed from me since our marriage up to this moment an amount reaching (80,000) Pakistani rupees, on the hope that he would repay this debt whenever the funds became available to him. Recently, I received a message from him stating that he absolutely cannot repay the debt he owes, as he had previously promised me. The truth is that my husband's family did not approve of our marriage from the very beginning. During the early days of our marriage, a fight broke out between my husband and one of his full brothers, in which sharp instruments (knives) were used; my husband was stabbed in his abdomen, which nearly caused his death. However, my husband told me that this fight had no connection to our marriage, but rather concerned his family's private affairs. This was followed by my husband's mother deciding to expel him from the house. Finally, the family reunited, but they have not
agreed to accept me as the wife of their son up to this moment. Since my husband's financial circumstances do not allow him to provide for me as his wife, and his lack of feeling and interest in fulfilling my physical, material, and emotional desires, in addition to his heavy reliance on me in some material aspects. The days have also revealed to me that my husband is a man who does not appreciate responsibility as he should. The truth is that my husband's family is characterized by violence, harshness, and extreme emotional reactivity, and they are not pleased with my marriage to their son. This means that my remaining or living with this family may cause me harm and expose my safety to certain danger. Moreover, there is no guarantee of avoiding their harm if I move to live with them in their house. And since my husband does not have a separate home of his own—to speak the truth—a fierce feeling of hatred for my husband has finally grown in me for the aforementioned reasons. This led me to repeatedly request divorce from my husband, but he did not respond to my request for divorce. Your Eminence, my problem is summarized in the following points: 1 - My husband has not been able to support me and provide for me since our marriage, and two full years have passed. 2 - There is no expected hope that my husband will obtain a job in the foreseeable future to secure a dignified life for me.
3 - My personal safety is at risk if I am forced to reside with my husband's family under one roof. 4 - My family's situation compels me to live with my mother, who has been divorced since 1408 AH and has two other daughters, and who receives no financial assistance from my father. 5 - I have no source of income to rely on, as I have not yet obtained a job. 6 - My years are passing quickly, and like other women, I desire to form a family, have children, and have a husband who is a helper to me in the vicissitudes of life. 7 - I have come to hate my husband to the extent that I am unable to fulfill my duties toward him as my husband. 8 - Do I have the right to request divorce from my husband? 9 - What is the most appropriate position from the Shari'ah perspective that my husband should take regarding my request to separate from him? And peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.
A: If the matter is as you have described, you have the right to request divorce, and there is no sin upon you in doing so.
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.