What is the ruling on a woman who severed her marital relations with her husband due to the interference of some of her relatives in a dispute between her and her husband?
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The questioner : His EminenceThe Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good. A woman had a dispute with her husband as a result of the influence of some of her relatives.
The Shaykh : As a result of what?
The questioner : The influence of some of her relatives on her, which often occurs between spouses. However, due to the intensity of the influence, she severed the marital relationship and persisted in it until she completely secluded herself from him, neither appearing before him nor meeting him. What is your guidance regarding this?
The Shaykh : First: We warn relatives not to interfere in the affairs of the spouses unless requested by the spouses. If the spouses request that relatives intervene for the sake of reconciliation, that is a different matter, and reconciliation is good. However, without the aim of reconciliation, it is not permissible for relatives to interfere in the affairs of the spouses, especially if they do not intend to reconcile. For some relatives, may Allah protect us from that, try to win out for their daughter, for example, or if they are from the husband's side, they try to win out for their son. You will find them fanning the flames of anger and resentment from the wife toward the husband, or from the husband toward the wife. There is no doubt that this is forbidden and is among the major sins, because it is an attempt to separate a person from his wife.
And this is the work of sorcerers, as Allah the Mighty and Majestic said:[Al-Baqarah 2:102] And it is not permissible for them to interfere.
As for the specific case you asked about, we say: Now, he has the choice. If he wishes, he may divorce her and leave her.[An-Nisa 4:130] Thus said Allah the Exalted. [An-Nisa 4:130] And if he wishes, he may ask the judge for two arbitrators to look into the situation. If they see that remaining together under the conditions they deem beneficial is the way, then let it be. And if they see that separation with compensation or without compensation is the way, the judgment is theirs. But if you know them, try to reconcile.
The Shaykh : As a result of what?
The questioner : The influence of some of her relatives on her, which often occurs between spouses. However, due to the intensity of the influence, she severed the marital relationship and persisted in it until she completely secluded herself from him, neither appearing before him nor meeting him. What is your guidance regarding this?
The Shaykh : First: We warn relatives not to interfere in the affairs of the spouses unless requested by the spouses. If the spouses request that relatives intervene for the sake of reconciliation, that is a different matter, and reconciliation is good. However, without the aim of reconciliation, it is not permissible for relatives to interfere in the affairs of the spouses, especially if they do not intend to reconcile. For some relatives, may Allah protect us from that, try to win out for their daughter, for example, or if they are from the husband's side, they try to win out for their son. You will find them fanning the flames of anger and resentment from the wife toward the husband, or from the husband toward the wife. There is no doubt that this is forbidden and is among the major sins, because it is an attempt to separate a person from his wife.
And this is the work of sorcerers, as Allah the Mighty and Majestic said:
And [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife
فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِAs for the specific case you asked about, we say: Now, he has the choice. If he wishes, he may divorce her and leave her.