Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Can a newly wedded husband leave his newly wedded wife going to earn abroad when there is not much needed or just for the sake of greed to earn more money leaving her wife with non mehrams or without her permission because as per other farz the farz for wife is also very big as refering with Hadith that women cannot susatain sexual desire more than one month. Because of this many married girls and women are having post married sexual relations because their husbands are buisy in earning the money abroad without caring their sexual desires.

Please answer as soon as possible. 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Leave newly married woman to earn

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Question: Would it be unlawful or ‘haraam’ in Shariah for a husband to leave his wife and go and live and work abroad to earn a living?

No.

Question: Should a husband leave his wife (and children) and go and live and work abroad to earn a living?

This depends entirely on the condition, on the acceptance, or the agreement of the individuals concerned.

If the wife would be satisfied with what her husband earns and spends on her, and she is unwilling to live apart from her husband for a prolonged period of time, she is well within her rights in Shariah to make her position known to her husband and request him not to leave. If even after her guarantees that she would be satisfied with the little that her husband earns and provides for her, the husband insists on leaving her alone to go and work abroad in search for better opportunities, the wife is well within her rights to initiate a divorce on this basis….and there would be absolutely no sin upon her if she did so.

But if the couple decide and agree to sacrifice their natural desire to live together in the hope of better opportunities for the future, this is a decision made in consensus by the two concerned parties.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan