Does the Story of Āsiyah Justify Enduring Harm from a Husband?
24-12-2025 | IslamWeb
Question:
Asalamulakium rahmitAllah wa Barakatuh, Is the story of Asiya RA an example for woman in Islam to put up with abuse and harm in marriage, or is it used only for the example of strength in faith? Can you share some evidences please. There’s always a sense of guilt for a sister trying to please Allah in leaving a harmful marriage that makes her physically and emotionally sick because of that story as well as her/people/families interpretation of the concept of being patient. Jazakium Allah Khayre
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is His slave and Messenger.
The story of Āsiyah (
) is primarily cited as an example of the strength of faith, steadfastness upon pure monotheism, and endurance of harm and torture for its sake. This is evident from the fact that she lived in comfort and luxury in Pharaoh’s household and enjoyed status and honor with him before her faith became manifest. She even interceded with him to spare the life of Mūsā (
) when he was an infant, and he granted this request despite his extreme tyranny and arrogance. No harm befell her except because of her faith in Allah alone and her affirmation of Mūsā (). Indeed, a single word could have sufficed to save her from a horrific death and return her to a life of ease and luxury.
However, her story is not a model by which the circumstances of wives with Muslim husbands are to be measured, nor is it a justification for enduring harm that corrupts one’s religion, body, or soul within marriage. Rather, her explicit supplication, “And save me from Pharaoh and his deeds,” indicates that her perfection lay in seeking deliverance from the dominion of oppression—not in being content with remaining under harm.
The foundational principle of marriage in Islam is tranquility, affection, mercy, and kind companionship. If a marriage is transformed into manifest harm that damages one’s religion, body, or psychological well-being, then a wife is not religiously required to accept or endure it. The Sharī’ah came to remove harm; it is narrated by Ibn Mājah 
that the Prophet ﷺ said: “There is to be no harm and no reciprocating harm.”
Accordingly, if you are suffering harm in this marriage that has reached the level of psychological or physical illness, this permits you to seek separation or khul’, and there is no sin upon you in striving to remove this harm with sincere intention. As for feeling regret due to citing the story of Āsiyah () in a manner that obligates you to what Allah has not obligated upon you, this is incorrect. There is no regret upon a person for taking a course of action that the Sharī’ah has permitted and made a means of removing harm from oneself.
That said, if you are able to endure this harm and hope that the condition of the marriage may be rectified through patience, then there is no blame upon you in doing so. You will have reward and recompense—Allah willing—so long as this does not lead to neglect of your obligatory religious duties within the marriage.
Allah knows best.