Advising a wife whose husband is lacking in ambition to seek knowledge

A somewhat lengthy message from one of the listening sisters. Your sister in Allah, the one who is confused (Umm 'Abdullah . S. J), says: I married a man who prays, praise be to Allah, and his character is good, praise be to Allah. However, I wish my husband had a strong enthusiasm for prayer, that he would stand in prayer at night, that he would memorize the Noble Qur'an or part of it, that he would strive in the path of Allah, and that he would be knowledgeable about the rituals of the religion so that he could inform me about what is lawful and what is forbidden. I want him to be a cultured man, as I am more knowledgeable than he is in my religion, and I am not boasting about myself. [Surah al-Isra: 85] These reasons have made me hate my husband. Since I married him, I have been asking him for a divorce, and my hatred for him increases day after day. Do I have the right to do this, O honorable Shaykh? Knowing that I performed the prayer of istikharah several times before the marriage, but I did not know the result of the istikharah, so I married him. I am now regretting that marriage. What is the solution, O honorable Shaykh? Since a person knows whom they live with, and I want my husband to be with me in Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. I treat him badly because of my hatred for him, so I am afraid of Allah regarding this treatment. Will I be among those who did not have patience with the divine decree and destiny? I ask you to inform me about these issues? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer: It is obligatory for you, O sister in Allah, it is obligatory for you to have patience, and to advise him and guide him with good words, and to encourage him to learn and understand the religion, as you indicated. As for his disobedience or your hatred of him because he did not strive in the learning and understanding of the religion that you mentioned, and to be among those who hasten and take the initiative in prayer and the like, this does not necessitate hating him or seeking divorce. It is not permissible for you to seek divorce, as long as the man prays and there is nothing that necessitates his disbelief from the nullifiers of Islam. However, he does not have the information that you have, and he does not have the enthusiasm to hasten and race to prayer, but he prays, praise be to Allah.
So it is obligatory for you to obey in what is good, and not to seek divorce, and to cooperate with him in good, by encouraging him to read and study, and to attend circles of knowledge, and to listen to this program, Nur 'ala al-Darb, so that he benefits, and to attend circles of knowledge if there are any among the scholars of the Sunnah and the people of good in your area so that he benefits. As for seeking divorce, there is no basis for it, and it is not necessary that your husband be like you in knowledge. The husband may be below the woman, or she may be above him in knowledge. If Allah has granted you knowledge, then be good to him and guide him with good words and a good manner, and encourage him to good and help him with everything you can, and encourage his relatives, such as his father or his brother, so that they encourage him and help him in understanding the religion and learning. I do not advise you at all to seek divorce, rather it is not permissible for you to do so. Seeking divorce is not something that is necessitated here, nor is there a cause for it. And in the hadith: .
So it is obligatory for you to have patience, to seek reward, to cooperate with him in good, to guide him to good, and to seek reward for everything you exert in the path of educating him and making him understand the religion, so that he may be, if Allah wills, as you requested and as you desired in knowledge and virtue. May Allah guide them all.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good. A deficiency in a person is something that can happen, O honorable Shaykh. And a person may do wrong while believing that they are doing right. Our sister requested what she requested from her husband, and perhaps she requested from him more than his capacity. That he memorize the Qur'an, that he stand in prayer at night, that he strive in the path of Allah. Perhaps he is not able to do this. May I ask for an additional word on this topic?
The Shaykh: In any case, he has a choice regarding such requests. Memorizing the Qur'an is not obligatory, and standing in prayer at night is not obligatory. But it is recommended for him to memorize what is easy of the Qur'an if he is able to do so. It is recommended for him to stand in prayer at night and perform the witr prayer, even if it is in the first part of the night. All of this is prescribed. And jihad in the path of Allah has details. If he is able to perform jihad and is capable of jihad, then jihad is among the greatest acts of drawing near to Allah and among the best acts of obedience. It may be a collective obligation, it may be an individual obligation, and it may be a recommended practice. So there are details in it.
So what is prescribed for her is to encourage him to good and to urge him to good, but not to seek divorce for this reason. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.