Question:
In Bukhari, there is a hadith from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that indeed the wife of Thabit bin Qais came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and said: O Messenger of Allah! I do not blame Thabit bin Qais (may Allah be pleased with him) for his character and religiosity, but I dislike disbelief (ingratitude) in Islam. What was the necessity and reason for the wife of Thabit bin Qais to demand a divorce? What is the relation and conformity between this and the previous hadith?
Answer:
This dislike was from Allah Almighty. From some chains of narration of the mentioned hadith, these words are established that she said: Indeed, she saw Thabit bin Qais رضي الله عنه with a group of men, and he was the shortest among them, so she began to dislike him, not because of any defect or fault in his character or religiosity, but due to a matter that caused aversion and hatred in her heart by the will of Allah. Therefore, in such a situation, as mentioned before, there is no harm in a woman demanding khula (divorce) from her husband, and it is obligatory to fulfill her demand, because if she is forced to live with a person she does not like, there is a fear that she may commit suicide or run away from her home.
