Question: If a husband allows
his wife to go out for work and for entertainment but shows displeasure
and annoyance when she leaves home for Da‘wah (Islamic propagation)
work and other Islamic work like learning and teaching Islam, and if the
wife disobeys him and leaves even if he shows disagreement—thinking obviously
that he is being unfair, will Allah be displeased with her?
Answer: I fully concede that
this decision of the husband is undoubtedly unfair. He ought not to stop
his wife from engaging in religious as well as other healthy activities
that she wishes to. That is how the life of a couple becomes peaceful and
comfortable.
However, the question arises what
should be done when he hampers any activity that his wife wants to undertake.
It will definitely depend upon what the wife has been stopped from doing.
If she is obstructed from carrying out her primary religious responsibilities
like saying the obligatory prayer, fasting or in any case from professing
faith in Allah, she should not follow her husband no matter what. But if
she is impeded not to undertake Da‘wah work, I am afraid she should
not resist the decision of her husband since Allah has not obligated her
to do Da‘wah work beyond the circle of her close relations and friends
that she usually meets in her daily life. This does not mean that she should
give up the effort to convince her husband regarding the importance of
learning and teaching Islam. She should positively continue her struggle
to intellectually convince her husband and persuade him to allow her to
do what she so much wishes to. She, however, should not rebel against the
decisions of her husband. I would like her to know that her reward with
the Lord will still be secured if she accepts the decisions and compromises
with her circumstances because every sincere intention brings reward to
the believer.
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