Someone wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa about an incident reported in a newspaper of a woman who had refused to lie with her husband because he was heavily drunk. She then asked if feelings of love could be sustained if one of the spouses was intoxicated.
In a letter dated 30 March 2020, Huzooraa gave the following reply to this question:
“In such a case, the question is not whether the feelings of love will remain or not; rather, it is a matter of sound nature [saleem fitrat]. Hence, in the Holy Quran, Allah the Exalted has guided us by preserving this prayer of Pharaoh’s wife for us, which states:
رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِنْدَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنْ فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِ
“‘My Lord! build for me a house with Thee in the Garden; and deliver me from Pharaoh and his work.’ [Surah al-Tahrim, Ch.66: V.12]
“It is clear from this verse that Pharaoh’s wife was definitely compelled to separate from Pharaoh, so she beseeched God.
“Therefore, this Quranic teaching proves that if the corrupt husband of a believing woman does not reform despite the admonition and there is nothing else preventing her from separating from him, then she should separate from such an evil husband after praying.”