A Husband Preventing his Wife from Going out of the House Permanently
20-5-2025 | IslamWeb
Question:
Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh esteemed Shaykhs of Islamweb. I would like to ask a question, and if possible i would like the answer to be detailed.1. What is the ruling on a husband preventing his wife from going out of the house permanently? Will there be times where the husband is sinful for this perhaps if the wife is mentally harmed always being at home?2. Can a husband force his wife to abandon a Sunnah act not Linked to his right, such as dhikr or watching lectures, forever?
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.
A husband does not have the right to completely prevent his wife from leaving the house. Thus, a woman is permitted to go out when necessary without her husband's permission. Consequently, if he prevents her from going out for something necessary or his prevention causes her harm, he is considered sinful for that. For more details, please refer to Fatwa 511705.
Similarly, a husband does not have the right to prevent his wife from performing recommended religious acts that do not conflict with his rights over her, such as listening to religious lectures at home. In such cases, she is not required to obey him if he asks her to stop. This is because, a wife’s obedience to her husband is not absolute; rather it is restricted to the matters that are related to marital relationship. For more details, please refer to Fatwa 18814.
Allah knows best.