Understanding Islam — Page 143
141 two is to be adopted only after this step fails to work after fulfilling all its conditions. 2. If the wife’s behavior continues to be nush ū z despite sufficient attempts at reform, the husband’s next step is to cease sexual relationship with the wife. This step is again harder for the husband to fulfill as compared to the wife. What is important to note is that it is not stated that the husband should force the wife out of the bedroom. Instead, the husband is the one who has to make the sacrifice and leave the wife, and sleep in another room or another bed. The hope is that this separation will create the environment so that a proper reformation is achieved, and the marriage can return to normalcy. 3. Despite the cessation of sexual relationship, if the wife continues to act in a way that is destructive and continues to exercise behavior that can be defined as nush ū z , which makes life difficult for the husband, and is harmful to the marriage, the husband is allowed at this point to lightly chastise her.