Excerpted from: Aḥkām wa Masā’il – In the Light of Qur’an and Sunnah by Shaykh Mubashar Ahmad Rabbānī
❖ Question:
What is the Islamic ruling on a dayyūth (a man who lacks protective jealousy)? What is the status of maintaining ties with such a person? Is it permissible to sever relations with him?
❖ Answer:
Before explaining the meaning and concept of a dayyūth, we begin with the ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ regarding such individuals.
✦ Ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ:
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“There are three types of people to whom Allah, the Exalted, will not even look on the Day of Resurrection: one who is disobedient to his parents, a woman who imitates men, and a dayyūth.”
[Sunan al-Nasā’ī – Kitāb al-Zakāh, Bāb al-Mann bima Aʿṭā, Ḥadīth 2563]
[Musnad Aḥmad: 2/134, 69, 128 – Ḥadīth 6180, 5372, 6113]
✦ Definition of Dayyūth:
Imām al-Suyūṭī رحمه الله explained in the commentary of this ḥadīth:
A dayyūth is a man who does not feel any protective jealousy over his women.
According to al-Jawharī (al-Ṣiḥāḥ: 1/139), the term dayyūth refers to someone who is bereft of protective honour (ghayrah).
In Musnad Aḥmad, the meaning is further elaborated:
A dayyūth is one who knowingly allows indecency to persist within his wife
(Musnad Aḥmad: 2/69, 128 – Ḥadīth 5372, 6113)
Refer also to al-Nihāyah (1/593) and Lisān al-ʿArab (4/456).
✦ Characteristics of a Dayyūth:
A man is labelled dayyūth if he witnesses his wife indulging in un-Islamic behavior and shows no religious jealousy or concern.
This includes, but is not limited to:
❖ The woman being involved in immorality or fornication
❖ Leaving the house without proper Islamic dress and ḥijāb
❖ Attending gatherings of non-maḥram men while beautified or wearing perfume
❖ Free-mixing and inappropriate speech with non-maḥrams
❖ Any action that contradicts Sharīʿah, which the husband tolerates without objection
✦ How Should a Dayyūth Be Treated?
We have a religious responsibility to advise and invite such individuals toward repentance and instill in them a sense of Islamic honour.
⚠ If we completely sever ties, it may lead them to become even more emboldened in their shamelessness.
✅ However, if we maintain a relationship based on gentleness and wisdom, continuously inviting them with care and good character, there remains hope that they may repent and be guided aright.
✅ Conclusion:
✔ A dayyūth is a serious and condemned category in Islam.
✔ Yet, rather than abandoning such a person outright, one should engage with them positively, with the intention of reforming them.
✔ Severing ties should not be the first step; rather, we should educate and invite them to return to the path of Islamic honour and dignity.
📚 References:
- Sunan al-Nasā’ī, Ḥadīth 2563
- Musnad Aḥmad: 2/69, 134, 128 – Ḥadīth 5372, 6180, 6113
- al-Ṣiḥāḥ by al-Jawharī: 1/139
- al-Nihāyah (Ibn al-Athīr): 1/593
- Lisān al-ʿArab: 4/456
