The subject of visiting the Ahl al-Bayt and its related rulings — especially for married women — has long attracted attention. Different schools and authorities may hold varying views on the matter.
Permission from the husband is not required for performing obligatory acts (such as the five daily prayers or fasting) or for refraining from forbidden acts. However, to leave the home a wife should obtain her husband’s permission. If her husband prevents her from going to places such as the shrines of the Imams (peace be upon them) or from taking a recommended ʻumrah trip, she should not go. On the other hand, if Hajj is obligatory upon the woman, the husband cannot prevent her and his permission is not required.
The fatwas of several major religious authorities on this topic are summarized below.
Question: In which cases may a woman leave the house without her husband’s permission?
Imam Khomeini: A wife needs her husband’s permission unless she has a contractual clause (in the marriage contract) that permits otherwise or she must leave the house for an obligatory duty. Husband’s permission is not required for an obligatory Hajj.
The Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Khamenei): In cases where leaving the house is required to perform a religious duty (for example, Hajj) or to earn a living and provide for the household, permission is not necessary.
Ayatollah Sistani: Cases in which leaving is obligatory, necessary, or undertaken to earn the husband’s maintenance (in the situation where the husband does not provide the nafqah) permit a woman to leave without his permission.
Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani: If a woman must provide for the household herself and cannot do so while obeying her husband, then during the time she is earning the family’s livelihood obedience to the husband is not obligatory. As a precaution, it is recommended to obtain the ruling of the religious authority (marja‘) as well. Permission of the husband is not a condition for performing an obligatory Hajj.
