العيوب في النكاح
Abu Az-Zinād reported: I asked Sa‘īd ibn al-Mūsayyib about a man who does not find anything to spend on his wife. He said that they should be separated. Abu Az-Zinād said: "Is that a Sunnah?" Sa‘īd said: "It is a Sunnah."
عن أبي الزِّناد قال: سألتُ سعيد بن المسيب عن الرجل، لا يجدُ ما يُنفقُ على امرأته، قال: يُفَرَّقُ بينهما. قال أبو الزِّناد: قلتُ: سُنَّة؟ فقال سعيد: سُنَّة.
شرح الحديث :
This tradition mentions that Sa‘īd ibn al-Mūsayyib, a senior Tābi‘i, was asked about a man who did not find anything to spend on his wife. On this issue, he gave a legal opinion that the spouses should be separated. Ibn al-Mūsayyib indicated that his opinion is derived from the Prophet's Sunnah. This applies only if the wife asks for separation, since she has the right for it in this case. The scholars deduced from this tradition that the wife may have her marriage annulled if her husband becomes financially incapable of spending on her for lack of money or the difficulty of making a livelihood. However, if the wife does not object to her husband's condition and does not ask for separation, there is no doubt that her choice is meritorious and worthier of divine reward.