I come from India, where most of hte families have their their Sons and Husband's working aboard for earning a living. The wives stay in the joint family home, serving husband mother, brothers and father. Is it then right for the mother in law to discourage son from calling his wife aboard, stop the daugther in law from going to her parents house? What is the ruling on daughter visiting their families after marriage ?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

The wife is not obliged to live in the house of her husband’s family, regardless if this is during his absence or when he is present, unless she is content to do so. Jurists agreed that the wife has the right to live in an independent accommodation, as we clarified in Fatwa 84608. When the husband goes away, he can leave her in her private residence in a safe place or he can leave her with her family.

She is also not required to serve her husband’s family, including his parents, unless she does so voluntarily, as we explained in Fatwa 84909. If she did this, it would indicate her good moral character and it would likely make her gain more of her husband’s love and affection.

The husband’s mother has no right to forbid her son’s wife from visiting her family. Doing this may be a means of cutting ties of kinship. Likewise, she has no right to forbid her son from calling his wife, as that could corrupt their relationship.

To conclude, the wife is required by Islamic law to keep ties with her family by visiting them and otherwise, but it is not permissible for her to go out to visit them without her husband’s permission. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 82969.

Allaah Knows best.