Divorce and Severing Family Ties
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Question: My sister married my cousin, and this man is addicted to drinking alcohol. When he drinks, he no longer remembers, and once he strangled her and nearly killed her, had it not been for the family’s intervention. But my sister could no longer bear his behavior, so she came to us and he decided to divorce her. After the divorce was finalized, communication was cut off between us and my aunt’s family.I ask your eminence to answer the question: Is this severance considered cutting off family ties? Because I heard that the Noble Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it, as it is among the greatest of major sins.
Answer: The divorce of this man from your sister, because he is of bad character, consumes forbidden things, and drinks intoxicants, is a good thing, because distancing oneself from the people of evil is required for the Muslim. It is not permissible for a Muslim to remain in the company of an open sinner or one who is lax in his religion, because it affects him, especially a wife with her husband. If her husband is of bad character and deviates from the religion, it affects her and her offspring. So her distancing from him and her escape from him is a relief for her and a good thing for her, if Allah wills, and Allah will compensate her with something better than him. And this confirms to the guardians of women that
they should choose righteous husbands for them, and that they should stay away from husbands who are open sinners and of bad character, because they affect them in their religion and in their lives.
As for the severance that resulted from that, it is a bad matter. So you should not cut off your relatives and sever your family ties. Rather, you must maintain family ties and be kind to relatives. And if this man has repented to Allah and left what he was doing of drinking alcohol, then the companionship and ties with him should be restored.
But if he continues in his transgression and his disobedience and does not repent to Allah, then he is to be boycotted for the sake of Allah the Exalted and Majestic, until he repents to Allah.
As for the rest of the relatives, there is no need to boycott them,And it is not permissible to boycott them, because Allah the Exalted said: [Al-An'am: 164] .
Answer: The divorce of this man from your sister, because he is of bad character, consumes forbidden things, and drinks intoxicants, is a good thing, because distancing oneself from the people of evil is required for the Muslim. It is not permissible for a Muslim to remain in the company of an open sinner or one who is lax in his religion, because it affects him, especially a wife with her husband. If her husband is of bad character and deviates from the religion, it affects her and her offspring. So her distancing from him and her escape from him is a relief for her and a good thing for her, if Allah wills, and Allah will compensate her with something better than him. And this confirms to the guardians of women that
they should choose righteous husbands for them, and that they should stay away from husbands who are open sinners and of bad character, because they affect them in their religion and in their lives.
As for the severance that resulted from that, it is a bad matter. So you should not cut off your relatives and sever your family ties. Rather, you must maintain family ties and be kind to relatives. And if this man has repented to Allah and left what he was doing of drinking alcohol, then the companionship and ties with him should be restored.
But if he continues in his transgression and his disobedience and does not repent to Allah, then he is to be boycotted for the sake of Allah the Exalted and Majestic, until he repents to Allah.
As for the rest of the relatives, there is no need to boycott them,And it is not permissible to boycott them, because Allah the Exalted said: