Question: The maximum amount of time a man can live away from his wife. If the husband has to travel abroad for work, what is the maximum time he can stay away. I heard yesterday someone saying that, it was decided in the time of Abu Bakr, Radi-Allahu anhu. Please answer with reference. Also there are many views from people, I have heard that the nikah invalidates after a certain duration of time, if husband and wife are not together.
A husband may stay away from his wife up to four months with the permission of his wife. If his wife allows then he may also stay more than that. It happened so during the caliphate of Hadhrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that once, during his night tour of the town of Madinah,
he came by a house from where he heard the voice of a woman reading a poem in which was lamenting the departure from her husband, saying: “Were it not that I fear disobeying a command of Allah, I would have approached someone.” When Hadhrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
enquired about the woman’s situation and learnt that her husband has gone since a very long time for Jihad and the woman could not bear staying anymore away from her husband. Upon this, Hadhrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, enquired from his daughter,
Hadhrat Hafsah, may Allah be pleased with her, “How long could a wife stay without her husband?” Thereupon Hadhrat Hafsah, may Allah be pleased with her, replied him: “Four months”. Hadhrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, therefore,
dispatched letters in all military camps to announce that all married soldiers do not have the right to stay away from home for more than four months. It should be noted that nikah does not come to an end no matter how long the husband stays away from his wife.
