Question:
Is it permissible for a husband to forsake his wife for an entire year—sleeping in one room while the wife sleeps in another—despite her having committed no offense against him?
Answer:
If the woman has fulfilled her marital obligations, then the husband’s desertion of her is strictly prohibited, pursuant to the words of Allah the Almighty: ‘but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).’ [An-Nisa: 34].
Reflect upon His saying: ‘For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).’ It serves as an indication that if a husband forsakes or estranges himself from his wife while she is fulfilling his rights—driven by a sense of superiority and arrogance—then Allah Almighty is more Exalted and more Great than he is. Consequently, he must repent to Allah and fear the Exalted and Great, Glorified be He.
Conversely, if she is in a state of recalcitrance and fails to fulfill his rights, he is permitted to forsake her in the bed until she rectifies her conduct.
As for verbal estrangement, he may not boycott her for more than three days, as the Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family—stated: ‘It is not permissible for a Muslim to desert his brother for more than three [nights]; they meet, and this one turns away and that one turns away, and the best of them is the one who initiates the greeting.’