settled with her in a place where he subjected her to severe beatings. He then took her away on a journey; they subsequently returned with her, and he prevented her family from visiting her while continuing to beat her. Is it permissible for her to remain with him under these circumstances?

He replied:

If the situation is as described, it is not permissible to allow her to remain with him under these circumstances. Rather, if he cannot live with her in kindness, they must be separated. He has no right to have intercourse with her in a way that harms her. Indeed, if he does not refrain from abusing her, they must be separated. Allah knows best.

He—may Allah have mercy on him—was also asked:

A man stipulated before witnesses that he would not house his wife in his father’s home. She lived separately for a time, but he is unable to maintain this arrangement. Is he obliged to do so? May she annul the marriage if he wishes to set aside the condition? Must he allow her mother or sister to visit her and stay overnight with her, or not?

He replied:

He is not obliged to do what he is unable to do, particularly if she stipulated her consent to that. Indeed, even if he could provide another dwelling, according to many scholars—including Mālik, one of the two positions in Ahmad’s school, and others—she would be entitled only to what he stipulated for her. How much more so, then, if he is unable? According to these scholars, she has no right to annul the marriage even if he is able. If, however, that dwelling is suitable accommodation for a poor person and he cannot afford any other, she has no right to annul the marriage, without disagreement among the jurists.

He is not obliged to allow either her mother or her sister to enter his home, provided that he treats her kindly. Allah knows best.