Is it permissible for a husband to prevent his wife from going to the mosque and visiting some of her female friends?

The questioner : She says: I am a woman living away from my homeland, and I have no relatives with me other than my husband. I ask him to let me go out to the Prophet’s Mosque or to go out to visit my neighbors, but my husband says: I do not want you to be going out and coming in constantly. Is it permissible for him to prevent me?

The Shaykh : Yes, the husband is the master of his wife. The proof of this is the saying of Allah the Exalted: The meaning of this is her husband, and she is a captive in relation to him, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Awwan" is the plural of "awwanah," and "awwanah" is the feminine of "awwan," and "awwan" is a captive. Therefore, it is the right of a Muslim over his brother to free the "awwan," that is, the captive. If you combine the verse with the hadith, it becomes clear to you that the ruling regarding the woman reverts to whom? To her husband. If he sees that it is in the interest to restrain her from going out, he has that right. But if he does not see an interest in restraining her from going out, he should not be harsh with her, nor should he give her complete freedom. It should be between these two extremes. Confining her absolutely involves hardship, and giving her complete freedom involves negligence. Let him treat his wife with good conduct, for Allah the Exalted said: And He said, Mighty and Majestic: But men have a degree of authority over them. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. This questioner says: Know...

The Shaykh : The summary, my brothers, is this: If the husband is present now, I say: Do not prevent your wife from going out absolutely. Rather, give her permission and make things easy for her. And we say to the wife: If your husband prevents you, the right is his. Be patient and seek reward from Allah, ask him why, and explain to him that you go out safely and return safely. Yes.