Renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has called on Islamic judges and clerics to permit Muslim women trapped in abusive marriages to seek divorce without being forced to pay compensation to their husbands.
Gumi made the appeal during his weekly Tafsir session at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna, where he delivered a lecture titled “How Wives in Islam Can Also Divorce Their Cruel Husbands Without Compensation.”
Islam Does Not Support Oppression in Marriage
The cleric explained that Islam frowns upon all forms of oppression within marriage, stressing that both men and women have equal rights to end a union when love, peace, and respect have disappeared.
Quoting from Al-Mukhtasar Al-Khalil, a well-respected Maliki jurisprudence text, Gumi said all marital decisions must be guided by fairness, justice, and compassion, not cultural bias.
He lamented that while men can easily divorce their wives through pronouncement, women are often subjected to harsh conditions or asked to pay for their freedom even after enduring abuse or neglect.
“Abuse Forfeits the Right to Compensation”
“A husband can simply utter words and end a marriage, but when a woman seeks freedom from an abusive man, she is told to pay compensation. That is injustice, and Islam stands against oppression,” Gumi stated.
Citing Qur’anic verses (Q4:35, Q4:19, and Q4:130), he stressed that Allah permits separation when peace is lost, adding that both partners must be treated with fairness and dignity.
The cleric condemned men who mistreat their wives yet refuse to release them unless they pay through khul’ (compensatory divorce).
“When a husband insults, humiliates, or beats his wife, he forfeits the right to demand compensation. It becomes the duty of the judge to dissolve such a marriage immediately. No woman should be trapped in misery,” he added.
Call for Fairness and Protection of Women
Sheikh Gumi urged Islamic judges (Qadis) to act courageously in defending women’s rights and to ensure that justice prevails in marital disputes.
He concluded by reminding Muslims that marriage in Islam is built on kindness, mercy, and mutual respect, and that when these values are lost, either partner has the right to leave peacefully.
