An illicit relationship with a Bhangi woman did not annul the nikah

Question

Question: Zayd formed an illicit relationship with a Bhangi woman (a woman of the Bhangi, i.e. sweeper, caste); Zayd ran away with her. It became known that Zayd ate pork with the Bhangi woman. Then Zayd came back and handed the Bhangi woman over to her family. Now Zayd’s in-laws are by no means prepared to keep their daughter with him, and his wife too is not prepared to live with him. Is there any harm if the wife stays with him? And if the wife wishes to be freed, what is the ruling?

Answer

Even after these base and obscene acts of Zayd, his nikah with his wife has not ended. It is incumbent on Zayd to repent sincerely, to feel remorse from the heart, and never again to go near unlawful (haram) acts and eating what is unlawful; then it is also permissible for the wife to live with him.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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