My husband beats me, gets drunk, and smokes. I fear for myself and my children. Is it permissible for me to ask for a divorce from him?

Question:
The questioner says: My husband beats me, gets drunk, smokes, and stays out late at night with bad companions. Sometimes he stays out with them at home. When they are in my house, I lock myself and my children in the room out of fear of them. What should I do? Is it permissible for me to ask for a divorce from him? I cannot bear to live with him. I recall the warning for a wife who asks for a divorce from her husband. Please advise us, may Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
Yes, a wife whose husband drinks intoxicants, stays out all night with the wicked, and from whom she fears harm, may ask for a divorce and separation from him. This is because remaining with him is harmful to her, and she fears evil from him. So she may ask for a divorce, and Allah will provide her with someone better than him, if Allah wills. She does not fall under the hadith: as it was reported? Yes. Because this woman asked for a divorce for a reason and a justification. The warning applies to a woman who asks for a divorce from her husband without a reason, and without a cause for asking for a divorce.