What should a woman do if she suspects her husband's wealth is haram because he deals in riba, does not pray, and does not fast, and she fears for herself and her religion?

The questioner : One of the sisters is asking in a state of confusion, and she says, "I swear by Allah that I suspect that the clothes I wear are haram and the food I eat is haram." She says, "Even if I want to go perform Hajj, I am not at peace with my Hajj." So we ask her, "What is the reason?" She says, "I am absolutely certain that my husband deals in riba and practices other things. His lack of commitment to prayer and his lack of commitment to fasting, all of this makes me, who am committed and who prays and fasts and fears Allah, suspect even my clothes and even my husband." Sometimes she says to her children, to her very poor son, "Try to buy me a garment that is not from your father's salary, because I know how he might get money." So she asks, "How can I deal with this husband according to the Shari'ah? Please, may Allah reward you with good?"

The Shaykh : By Allah, this situation requires a judge who rules with what Allah has revealed. First, it requires a woman who stands by her word and cares about the Shari'ah of her Lord. Because it is not enough to express regret in words if that is not accompanied by action. If the husband is as you described, his wealth is haram and everything that comes from this wealth is haram, and as you said, he does not pray and perhaps does not fast, then the least that can be said about him in the Shari'ah is that he is an open sinner. Some scholars say he is a disbeliever who has apostatized from the religion. If he dies, he is not washed, not shrouded, and not buried in the graves of Muslims. In that case, it is not permissible for this woman to remain in the marriage of this husband, whose best state is that he is an open sinner and whose worst state is that he is a disbeliever. It is not permissible for her to remain in his marriage. She is told: "You must separate from him." And here comes the point I mentioned earlier: women must stand by their apparent enthusiasm in their speech. She will be told, "Separate from him." But then she will be shocked and say, "What about my son? Where will I go? What about my money? What is my refuge? What is my shelter? What about my father?" and so on. So if she truly says this, she must accept this unfortunate reality, much to her regret. But if she only laments and does not act on what she feels, which drives her to lament, this speech is, as they say, "words of the night are erased by the day." I said a Shari'ah judge is needed. If she files the case and requests separation, the Muslim judge, when he looks into such a complaint, will immediately help her. He will bring the husband and order him to reform himself, to pray, to fast, and to eat lawful wealth. The reality is that we live today in a society, with its rulers and the ruled, that is contrary to the Shari'ah. And as the common proverb says, "The worm is in the vinegar and in it," except for those whom Allah protects, and they are few. And this fewness is what Allah praised in many of His verses, and His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a number of his hadiths. He the Exalted said: And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: What is the beginning of the hadith?
onAl-Halabi : .

The Shaykh What does this statement mean? It means that out of a hundred camels, all destined for slaughter, you do not find a single riding camel that a person can enjoy and use to travel, to perform Hajj to the House of Allah, and to perform 'Umrah to other places. You hardly find a riding camel among the hundred; they all need to be slaughtered and that is all. And the Messenger said: And so on. Therefore, this woman is advised to advise her husband. Few are those who seek advice and accept it; this is a known fact. But she must do her duty and try. If he does not respond, she must respond to this good emotion and try to separate from him according to the wise Shari'ah. This type of husband, and then the wife who is content with this life, and the children who live on this haram wealth. This husband and his like are what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) meant in the hadith that Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم إن الله طيب ولا يقبل إلا طيبا وإن الله أمر المؤمنين بما أمر به المرسلين فقال: يا أيها الرسل كلوا من الطيبات واعملوا صالحا ثم ذكر عليه الصلاة والسلام الرجل أشعث أغبر يرفع يديه يقول: يا رب يا رب ومأكله حرام ومشربه حرام وملبسه حرام وغُذّيَ بالحرام فأنى يستجاب لذاك أو لذلك The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah is Pure and does not accept anything but what is pure. And indeed, Allah commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers, saying: ‘O messengers, eat from the good things and do righteous deeds.’” Then the one with prayer and blessings upon him mentioned the man with disheveled hair and covered in dust, who raises his hands and says: “O my Lord, O my Lord,” while his food is forbidden, his drink is forbidden, his clothing is forbidden, and he is nourished with what is forbidden. How then will he be answered? This type of people, who claim [faith] but their food, drink, and clothing are haram, and they are fed with haram, applies to most Muslims today. The greatest proof of that is that some merchants do not engage in the forbidden transactions of the banks, and you are descending in [status] to sell what Allah the Mighty and Majestic has forbidden. Therefore, do not be surprised that when we call upon Allah day and night and go out to ask our Lord for rain, we are not given rain. The reason is very clear, because the Messenger says: Our food, our drink, our clothing, and so on. Of course, this is a view regarding the general public. There may be righteous individuals in the people, and this is necessary. Because Allah the Mighty and Majestic, as He gave glad tidings in the authentic hadith, and so on. But it is the custom of Allah the Mighty and Majestic that affliction is widespread, as He the Exalted said: And as came in the authentic hadith: Therefore, making the morsel pure is a very necessary matter for the happiness of the nation, let alone the happiness of individuals. And the opposite is exactly the opposite. This is what relates to the answer to that question.

The questioner : On a topic.

The Shaykh: Go ahead.