The Committed Believer · Kindness in the Family

Marital Conduct and Permissions in Islam

Explore Islamic rulings on spousal permissions and conduct within marriage.

6 questions · Medium · about 4 minutes

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6 questions, about 4 minutes.

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1. Why might a pregnant wife who left without permission still be entitled to maintenance?

  • Because the maintenance may be regarded as due for the infant. (correct answer)
  • Because leaving without permission never affects maintenance.
  • Because pregnancy cancels all marital duties.
  • Because maintenance is owed only if she went to visit friends.

Why

A wife should not leave her husband’s house without permission, and if she does so without justification she may be nashiz and lose maintenance. But the source stresses that the reason she left must be known; if she fled abuse or mistreatment, the wrongdoing may be his. It also explains that scholars differed about pregnant nashiz maintenance, but the stronger view cited is that it is due for the infant, so the father must spend on the infant even if the mother is defiantly disobedient.

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2. Why must a wife seek her husband’s permission before observing a voluntary fast when he is present?

  • Because a voluntary fast may interfere with his right to intimacy. (correct answer)
  • Because voluntary fasting is forbidden for all married women.
  • Because Ramadan fasting also requires his permission.
  • Because a husband must approve every act of worship.

Why

A wife may not observe a voluntary fast while her husband is present except with his permission. This applies to voluntary and recommended fasts for which there is no fixed time, not to Ramadan. The reason given is that the husband has a right to intimacy, and a voluntary fast should not cancel or delay that right. The same ruling is not required of the husband in the same way because of the difference in marital rights discussed in the source.

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3. What intimacy is permissible with a wife during menstruation or nifas?

  • Intimacy is permissible except vaginal intercourse. (correct answer)
  • All forms of intimacy are forbidden.
  • Vaginal intercourse is allowed if both spouses agree.
  • Intimacy is allowed only after nifas, not during menstruation.

Why

Vaginal intercourse during menstruation or nifas is haram by consensus. Other forms of intimacy are permissible, such as kissing, embracing, and touching, and the source cites the hadith, “Do everything except intercourse.” It is better, especially when the bleeding is heavy, for the wife to wear a covering between the navel and knees as a precaution. The same rulings apply to nifas as to menstruation.

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4. What should a wife do if her husband orders her to abort a pregnancy?

  • She must not obey him in that. (correct answer)
  • She must obey him because he is the husband.
  • She may obey him whenever the pregnancy is less than four months.
  • She may obey him if he plans to divorce her afterward.

Why

Aborting a pregnancy is not permissible, whether before or after the soul is breathed into the foetus, though the prohibition is more emphatic afterward. If the husband orders his wife to abort, she must not obey him, because there is no obedience to a created being in disobedience to Allah. The same source also states that divorcing a pregnant woman is a Sunnah talaq, and that a husband may not pressure his wife to give up her mahr or property unless there is the specific exception of blatant immorality.

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5. What should a husband do if he wants his wife to report private conversations from her family?

  • Fear Allah and stop demanding gossip or private speech from her. (correct answer)
  • Force her to repeat everything she hears.
  • Treat her refusal as disobedience in every case.
  • Encourage her to transmit speech that causes resentment.

Why

A husband should not force his wife to report private conversations with her family or others. Transmitting people’s words in a way that causes trouble is nameemah, a major sin, and the wife should not obey him in that. If he insists and she fears conflict, she may say words that spread love and extinguish fitnah, such as saying that her family praised him or spoke well of him.

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6. May a wife wear short, sheer, or tight clothing in front of her husband only?

  • Yes, because spouses may see one another’s ‘awrah. (correct answer)
  • No, such clothing is always forbidden even between spouses.
  • Only if she also wears hijab in front of him.
  • Only if other mahrams are present.

Why

The basic principle is that a wife may adorn herself for her husband and a husband may adorn himself for his wife. It is permissible for a wife to wear short, sheer, or tight clothing in front of her husband only, because guarding the ‘awrah does not apply between spouses in the same way. But if anyone other than the husband will see her, then such clothing is not permissible. Other clothing rules still apply, such as the prohibition on men wearing silk or women wearing clothing unique to men.

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A note on these answers

These questions are for learning and self-testing. Explanations are drawn from the sources linked on each question and are not a fatwa. For a ruling on your own circumstances, please consult a qualified scholar.

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