What is your advice regarding a woman from outside the Kingdom who, when she travels from it, removes the abaya and displays her adornment, and her husband has advised her but she did not accept, and she demands divorce and claims that hijab in the Kingdom is a custom and tradition, and if she insists on divorce, does she sin by doing so or not?

The questioner : May Allah reward the honorableThe Shaykh : This is a problem, and I ask Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to make its solution through your hand, for me and for my brothers who are in a situation like mine. Allah has united me with my wife upon the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). My wife is on a temporary assignment here, and as soon as she boards the plane, she removes the abaya and exposes her body, then she goes to the resorts in our country, Egypt, which contains evils and sins. This year, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, guided me during Ramadan, and praise be to Allah, I realized that this is forbidden. I have not been able to convince my wife to wear the Islamic hijab yet, after the vacation when we go to our country. However, she is insistent because the customs of some people here are like this, to the extent that when I speak to her, she demands divorce from me. If I insist on her wearing the hijab, on the grounds that hijab here is a custom and tradition of the people of this country, secondly, that hijab here is necessary to obtain money according to the system of this country. The important thing is that we have three children between us. Is there a word for her and for those in her situation? She is present today, eager to hear your opinion. What do you advise her? And what should I do in this situation? May Allah benefit you. And if she insists on divorce, does she sin by doing so while she wants to display her adornment? May Allah reward you with the best reward for me, for her, and for every Muslim.

The Shaykh : I say: It was mentioned in the question that hijab is customs and traditions, and this is an error. Hijab is worship and religious devotion, and drawing near to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and it is not from the category of customs and traditions. Rather, it is from the category of commands that Allah and His Messenger ordered. Therefore, doing it is a means of drawing near to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. This is an important point, because if we believe that it is customs and traditions, and then we travel from a country whose customs and traditions are veiling to a country where they do not practice that, this would imply that the woman should not veil there, because their customs and traditions do not require veiling. But I say to my brothers, men and women: Hijab is a divine law (Shari'ah) and not a custom, by the command of Allah and His Messenger. And it is a creation of modesty, and there is no doubt that modesty is from faith. And I advise this woman not to give Satan a way to separate her from her husband, for the most beloved thing to Satan is to separate a person from his wife. For this reason, the strongest and greatest magic is the separation between a man and a woman, by the saying of Allah the Exalted: . I advise this woman first: to fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to wear the Islamic hijab that the women of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and the women of the Muslims used to wear, as an act of worship to Allah and drawing near to Him, and seeking the reward and recompense.
Second: The husband, with regard to the wife, is a master, as Allah the Exalted said: . And the wife, with regard to the husband, is a captive, by the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): . Al-'Awan is the plural of 'Ayn, and al-'Ayn is the captive. So the husband is a master, and the husband is also a shepherd over his family. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed him; no one from among the people appointed him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: . And if the matter is so, then the word in this is for him. It is obligatory for the woman to obey him in this, because if she obeys him in this, she has obeyed him in obedience to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Yes, if the husband asks his wife to practice something forbidden, there is no listening to him and no obedience. But if it is not forbidden, but rather it is commanded by the Shari'ah, then it becomes more emphasized for her to obey him. So I advise the wife of this questioner, I advise her to fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to veil with the Islamic hijab, obedience to Allah the Exalted before all else, then compliance with the command of her husband, whom the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) made a shepherd over her, and who has the right to say his word, and she has the right to accept this word.
Then, if she demands divorce for this reason, it is a demand without right. And in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): . And it is known that if she asks for divorce because her husband orders her to veil, it is known that she asked for this divorce without any cause, rather she asked for it from good. Then she must know that the matter is not easy if her husband separates from her in this situation, and there are children between them. The children will be lost in one way or another, and people will not desire her, and she has children from a previous husband, because people do not want to get into problems with others. So let her fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and let her agree with her husband in that, meaning in veiling, with Islamic veiling, obedience to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and compliance with the command of her husband, and avoiding the causes of evil and immorality. And if she does that seeking the Face of Allah, then what befalls her of harm in her country is an increase of good for her and reward and recompense.