Can My Husband Forbid My Parents from Visiting Me at Home?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Can my husband forbid my parents from visiting me at home?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

The Letter of the Law

In general, it is permitted for a woman’s parents and close relatives to visit her, even if the home she lives in belongs to the husband. The scholars have stipulated that the parents visit once a week and other close relatives once a month or according to some, once a year. [al-Mawsu’a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya]

Obviously this is what the Sacred Law stipulates and this is only referred to when their is disagreement between spouses. If the husband agrees, the family can visit whenever and however often they want. [Ibid.]

There is a minority opinion in the Hanafi school that the husband can prevent her family members from visiting her, however this is prohibitively disliked to do. [Ibid.]

Who Owns the Home?

Now if ownership of the home is shared between the spouses (or owned entirely by the wife), the husband has no right to prevent her family from visiting as long as it doesn’t encroach on his other rights. [Ibid.]

The Spirit of the Law

Despite the above, Islam teaches that a husband should live with and treat his wife goodness and respect.

Allah Most High says, “Live with them in accordance with what is fair and kind: if you dislike them, it may well be that you dislike something in which God has put much good…” [Qur’an; 4:19]

Part of this kindness is to facilitate her relationship with her parents and relatives. However, if there is reason to fear harm by both or one of the parents visiting, he can prevent them from coming. Harm may entail things like any danger to her person, her religious practice, or her religious understanding. [al-Mawsu’a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya]

It seems that there is some justification – from what you mentioned in your question – for your husband not wanting your parents to visit.

Coming to a Compromise

You and your husband must discuss the issue in a respectful manner and come to a compromise which both of you are content with. This may entail limiting visits from your parents to once a week as stated in the beginning of this answer or maybe your husband takes your to their home to visit them instead of them coming over.

These are merely suggestions, and only you two can come to a decision on what works best for your situation. Be open but respectful and willing to find a middle ground.

Hope this helps

Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.