Islam on Marital Rights — Page 14
14. ISLAM ON MARITAL RIGHTS that may be pleasing to her husband; and when you ask her to do a thing, she obeys you and when you are away from the house she guards your property and her own modesty for you. ". ONE EXCEPTION. One exception, however, has been made in the matter of obedience. The wife should refuse to obey if the husband wants her to disobey a command of Allah. For instance, if he ask her not to say any of her obligatory prayers or not to keep the obligatory fasts during Ramadhan or he urges her to take a hard drink or tells her to give up the Islamic purdah or asks her to partake of some indecency or immorality, she would be quite justified to disobey. . But in all other matters she must obey. If she does not do so she will be deemed disobedient, and the husband will be entitled to take disciplinary action against her in the manner and within the limits as prescribed by the Holy Quran for such cases. It says: "And for those (wives) on whose part you fear disobedience, admonish them and leave them alone in their beds, and chastise them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. " (4:35). Steps in respect of the above command have to be taken with the greatest care and due consideration. By leaving them alone in their beds does not mean perpetual separation. In the case of a very stubborn woman, who does not mend herself as a result of separation, which in no case should exceed four months, the husband should take recourse by giving a bit of corporal punishment. But this must be the last recourse. . The Holy Prophet (s. a. w. ) has given very clear instructions on this point. He has advised that the punishment should be light, so light that it must not leave any mark on the body. And he has positively forbidden slapping one's wife on the face, for he said: "Do not hit her on the face. " (Abu Da'ood. )