Demanding talaq when the spouses cannot live together in harmony

Question

Question: Sayyid married his adult daughter to ‘Umar, the son of Bakr. The girl went to her in-laws’ home and came back a few times. The in-laws loaded the girl with housework and field work; the girl was fifteen years old and was not used to much work, so she could not bear the burden of work, and the in-laws caused her great distress in this regard. It came to the point that the girl was put under watch. When the news reached the girl’s father, Sayyid, he came to fetch her, but they did not send her.

Answer

If the husband is willing to keep his wife and make a home with her, he cannot be forced to give talaq; he can only be restrained from unjust excess. The method that has been adopted is wrong. It is better to involve senior, influential and sensible people as intermediaries and to tell the husband not to impose a burden of work beyond her capacity and not to resort to…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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