Home
Discover Islam
Quran Recitations
Lectures
Fatwa
Articles
Fiqh
E-Books
Women
Boys & Girls 
Enter Question
View By Subject
Fatwa Of The Week
Selected Fatwa
Fatwa CenterIt is prohibited for your husband to intermix with his sister-in-law
Question
My younger brother in law passed away ten years ago leaving three kids and a revert wife. After the funeral the wife started flirting with my husband and treats me as an outsider since she has his blood nieces and nephew. She still try to find ways to spend time with him and flirt at every opportunity. He said he is uncomfortable but puts up with it for the kids. She insults me at every opportunity and he refuses to say anything because he wants to be the nice guy. I can no longer handle the situation and feel that I should remove myself from thus triangle. Please tell me how to handle islamically.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.
Indeed, your husband's brother’s wife is a non-Mahram woman in relation to him and he should observe the relevant Islamic rulings when dealing with her. It is impermissible for him to be alone with her or flirt with her as you mentioned in the question. Islamic Sharee'ah warns Muslims against a woman unlawful intermixing with her male in-laws in particular. ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir 
reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Beware of entering the quarters of women." A man from the Ansaar said, "Messenger of Allaah! What about the husband's male relatives?" The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, replied: “The husband's male relatives are death.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Commenting on this Hadeeth, Imaam An-Nawawi 
said, “With regard to the Prophet’s words “The husband's male relatives are death,” they mean that there is more concern with regard to the wife's in-laws than anyone else. Evil is more expected of them than others, and there is greater opportunity of temptation on their part because they are able to reach the woman and be alone with her without anyone denouncing that, unlike the case of one who is a stranger. What is meant by the “husband's male relatives” here is any of the relatives of the husband apart from his father/grandfather and sons/grandsons.” [Sharh Muslim]
For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 181041.
It is odd that your husband justifies his behavior with the fact that he is uncomfortable with this matters but puts up with it just for the sake of his brother’s children. Verily, this is a quite frail justification! He can maintain the kinship ties with his brother’s wife and children and this does not entail committing such sinful acts. However, you should advise him kindly and remind him of Allaah and the day when he will be held accountable for his deeds before his Lord.
Moreover, her insults and offences against you – if verified as correct - are unacceptable and sinful acts as well. Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means):
• {And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned have certainly born upon themselves a slander and manifest sin.}[Quran 33:58]
• {O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.}[Quran 49:11]
Therefore, you should advise her kindly and wisely.
Finally, if this woman lives with you in the same house, you are entitled to ask your husband to arrange a separate accommodation for you in order to alleviate your hardship. We advise you to supplicate Allaah to guide your husband and this woman to the straight path and to have proper conduct.
Allaah Knows best.
Search Fatwa
Fatwa Subject
