Renowned Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has urged Islamic judges and clerics to grant Muslim women facing domestic ab¥se the right to divorce their husbands without being forced to pay compensation.

Gumi made the call during his weekly Tafsir session at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna while speaking on “How Wives in Islam Can Also Divorce Their Cruel Husbands Without Compensation.”

He explained that Islam does not support oppression in marriage and that both men and women have equal rights to end a union when love and respect no longer exist. Citing Al-Mukhtasar Al-Khalil, a Maliki jurisprudence text, he said justice must guide all marital rulings.

Gumi lamented that men easily dissolve marriages, while women face unfair conditions when seeking divorce over abuse or neglect. “A husband can simply utter words and end a marriage, but when a woman seeks freedom from an ab¥sive man, she is told to pay compensation. That is injustice, and Islam stands against oppression,” he said.

Quoting Qur’anic verses (Q4:35, Q4:19, and Q4:130), he stressed that Allah allows separation when harmony is lost and that both parties should be treated fairly. He also condemned rising cases of domestic violence, criticising men who ab¥se their wives but refuse to release them unless they pay through khul’ (compensatory divorce).

“When a husband insults, humiliates, or beats his wife, he forfeits the right to demand compensation. It becomes the duty of the judge to dissolve such a marriage immediately. No woman should be trapped in misery,” he said.

Gumi urged Islamic judges (Qadis) to protect women from inj¥stice and act with fairness and courage. He added that a healthy marriage must be built on kindness, mercy, and respect, and when these are lost, either partner has the right to walk away in dignity