What Should a Man Do if He Is Being Compelled To Divorce His Wife by His Parents?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question:

What Should a Man Do if He Is Being Compelled To Divorce His Wife by His Parents?

Answer:

Assalamu alaykum,

Thank you for your question.

Goodness and obedience to parents are obligatory in Islam, but not unconditionally. Please see this excellent article, fully detailed, with proof, about your issue.
https://islamqa.org/hanafi/daruliftaa/7838/obeying-parents-in-divorcing-my-wife/
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/hanafi-fiqh/when-may-parents-be-disobeyed-and-how/

Considerations

In any situation like yours, I recommend that divorce be the last choice on your list, if a choice at all. You should help your wife and parents communicate their troubles, and you should stand up for her. You should show extra love and devotion to your parents by buying them gifts and spending time with them, and telling them that it was her idea. You should be clever and sow love between them and give them time to accept her. When children come around, relationships usually get much better. In reality, your wife will probably become your mother-in-law’s friend after ten or fifteen years, by the grace of Allah.

Given the considerations in such cases, we urge you to please consult reliable local scholars or counselors about the specifics of the situation.

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.