Fatwa Explorer

Fatwa #1466020 October 2006Pakistan

my mother and my wife had a fight

Question

Dear Imam Sahib,
 
I am a 29 Year old married guy from Pakistan with a daughter. I am the only son of my mother and my father died when I was only six and since then my mother has brought me up and my three sisters. Two of my sisters are married and the last will be married in december InshaAllah. My wife has an MBBS degree and is very ambitiuous about parctising medicine. I am an engineer and work in Karachi whereas my wife lived with my mother in Hyderabad. I go home every weekend. One night my mother and my wife had a fight when I was also there and my mother said that either my wife will live in the house or she will. On this my wife packed her bag and went out of the house although I tried to stop her alot. I forcibly dragged her in since it was very late in the night and drove her to her parents house. Her father asked me to take her back home and the next day came to meet my wife. Everything returned to normal after my wife said sorry to my mother. But after a few days, her father came and took her with him saying that my wife's mother was not well. I was away from home then. After a couple of days I went to my wife's parents house to ask about her mother and also to address any concerns her father had. The next day I asked my wife to come along with me or else I will not accept her. She refused to come with me saying that her mother needed her. This made me and my mother very angry and she asked me not to contact with my wife. I did contact her after a month. My mother came to know and became very angry with me. As she became very emotional and I also got very angry, I gave one Talaq to my wife on the phone. She was pregnant then. She stayed at her parents house and gave birth to our daughter.A week after the birth I brought her back home after convincing my mother. But after a month, she wanted to give a job interview for which she had earlier passed the exam. I initially gave her the permission but then changed my mind and told her since I was not going to allow her to do job there was no use for the interview. But this was not acceptable to her and her parents. She said since I knew before marriage that she was a doctor and ambitiuous about her career, I should either now allow her to give interview or should not have married her at all. But I said that either It was me or interview. She told her parents and they came to take her away saying that they could not let their daughter live with us and will take her to the interview themselves. I told them that if they took her away then she will never come back. My mother also called my wife a prostitue and some other bad words. My wife refused to stay and now says she will only live with me on the condition that I allow her to do job and get a house in karachi where she can live with me seven days a week. She has no objection to living with my mother provided my mother says sorry to her. My mother now has asked me to leave her. She says she will not accept her and she will never move to karachi. She wants me to do a second marriage. The problem is I still love my wife and don't want to leave her but I also cannot leave my mother as I am her only son. But if leaving my wife is the right thing to do, then I will do it. Please tell me what to do except that I try to convince my mother to accept my wife because that will never happen and also my wife will never back down from her demand to work.
 

Answer

Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullah

 

Brother/Sister in Islam

 

As a son you have to show respect to your mother. It is Haram and a major sin to show any disrespect to your mother. It is also compulsory to for you to treat wife with justice. She married you and expect you to be just to her. You will have to combine both attributes, obedient son and just husband when addressing the issue. Your wife has been treated unjustly in the following ways

  1. You knew your wife was ambitious about her career. Why did you marry her if you meant to stop her from pursuing her career? You misled her. The issue of a woman working is another matter.
  1. You go to work in Karachi and leave her alone with your mother in Hyderabad . It is her right to be with you.
  1. You got carried away with your mother’s emotion and actually divorced your wife who you claim to love.
  1. Your mother calls her a prostitute yet your mother knows her as she has been living with your mother.
  1. Your wifes demand of apology is appropriate. She may forfeit her right as a good gesture and in consideration of the seniority of your mother. do not force her or impose or her to forfeit her right.
  1. In the circumstances, it is prohibited for you to accede to the request of your mother and divorce your wife. That will be another injustice to her for which both of you, your mother and yourself will pay dearly in the hereafter. Fear Allah and be just to your wife while being respectful to your mother.

And Allah Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

 

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