Renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has urged Islamic judges and clerics to ensure that women suffering from domestic abuse are granted the right to divorce their husbands without being compelled to pay any form of compensation.
Speaking during his weekly Tafsir session at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna, Gumi addressed the topic titled “How Wives in Islam Can Also Divorce Their Cruel Husbands Without Compensation.” He referenced Al-Mukhtasar Al-Khalil, a key Maliki jurisprudence text, noting that Islam does not condone oppression in marriage and that both men and women are granted the right to end a union when mutual respect and compassion are lost.
He lamented the societal and judicial double standards that continue to make it easy for men to dissolve marriages, while women who seek divorce on grounds of abuse, neglect or humiliation face difficult hurdles.
“A husband can simply utter the words and end a marriage, but when a woman seeks freedom from an abusive man, she is made to suffer further by being told to pay compensation,” he said. “That is injustice, and Islam stands firmly against oppression.”
Gumi cited verses from the Holy Qur’an (Q4:35, Q4:19 and Q4:130), emphasising that Allah permits separation when harmony can no longer be restored and that justice must remain central to marital matters.
He condemned the rising cases of domestic violence and criticised husbands who subject their wives to physical and emotional torture while refusing to release them from unhappy marriages 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 stated.
Gumi also urged Islamic judges (Qadis) to display courage and fairness in protecting women from unjust treatment, insisting that an abused wife must not be made to buy her freedom from a tormentor.
“The justice system must stand for what is right. When a woman brings forward her case, the judge should be her knight in shining armour, freeing her from an oppressive husband without delay,” he said.
He reminded worshippers of the Qur’anic assurance that Allah will provide for both parties following separation, citing Q4:130: “And if they separate, Allah will render them both free from want out of His ampleness.”
Speaking in Hausa, Gumi concluded that a healthy Islamic marriage must be built on kindness, mercy and mutual respect, and where these are absent, either spouse has the divine right to walk away with dignity.
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