Husband Forces His Wife to Command His Brother’s Wife to Wear Hijab

4-2-2023 | IslamWeb

Question:

Me and my husband lives in my brother's house for some reasons for a short period in which there are some arguments between my husband and my brother's wife regarding the dressing of my husband. After that we left his house and shifted to our house. Now as my brother's family is also shifted in that building and my brother's wife did not take hijab inside the building premises. My husband forced me to tell her that she should take the hijab otherwise he should left me. What to do in this matter. Please tell me my husband has any right on forcing my brother's wife to take hijab.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Your husband has no authoritative power over your brother’s wife, but it is obligatory to order her to cover up (i.e., to wear the Hijab) and to forbid her from displaying her body parts that should be covered (and being scantily dressed).

Therefore, if your husband commanded you to forbid her from displaying her body parts that should be covered (and being scantily dressed) and ordering her to wear the Hijab, obey him in that, unless you suffer harm or you fear great harm that will result from ordering her to wear the Hijab, then there is nothing wrong with you in abandoning ordering her to wear it while denying it in your heart. In addition, if you are waived from the obligation to order this woman to wear Hijab because you despair of the benefit of ordering her to do so, or because you fear harm from ordering her, or that it will result in greater harm if you order her, then your husband does not have the right to oblige you to do so, nor to leave you because you did not obey him in that.

Allah knows best.