Article 108 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
المادة 108 من نظام الأحوال الشخصية · الفصل الرابع: فسخ عقد الزواج
The court terminates the marriage at the wife's request if her husband harms her to a degree that makes continued married life in kindness impossible, provided the harm is proved.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تفسخ المحكمة عقد الزواج بناء على طلب الزوجة لإضرار الزوج بها ضرراً يتعذر معه دوام العشرة بالمعروف، إذا ثبت وقوع الضرر.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 108 explained in plain English
This article gives the wife the right to request termination of the marriage contract because of harm she suffers from her husband, and it sets clear conditions for this.
Conditions for termination for harm:
- The wife's request: the court terminates the contract at her request.
- The husband harms her: the harm must come from the husband.
- The severity of the harm: it must be harm that makes continued married life in kindness impossible.
- Proof of the harm: termination is ordered only if the harm is proved.
The article does not list forms of harm; it sets a general standard, namely that continued married life in kindness has become impossible.
If the harm is not proved: Article 109 deals with this case; if the harm is not proved, discord between the spouses continues and reconciliation is not possible, each spouse chooses an arbitrator from his or her family within the period the court sets, otherwise the court appoints two arbitrators.
Relation to the previous article: Article 107 regulates termination where the husband refuses to provide maintenance, maintenance cannot be collected from him, or he claims inability to pay it.
To know how harm is proved in a particular case, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in personal status matters.
Practical example
A wife in Riyadh suffered repeated abuse from her husband that made continued married life in kindness impossible, so she filed a termination claim and submitted proof of the harm. If the harm is proved, the court terminates the marriage contract under Article 108; if it is not proved and discord continues, the court moves to the arbitration procedures in Article 109.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 108 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
Can a wife request termination of the marriage because of harm?
Yes. The court terminates the marriage contract at the wife's request if her husband harms her to a degree that makes continued married life in kindness impossible, if the harm is proved.
What happens if the wife cannot prove the harm?
If the harm is not proved, discord continues and reconciliation is not possible, two arbitrators are appointed under Article 109.
More articles on Annulment of Marriage
- Article 27
The article makes spouses bound by their conditions, and a condition gives a right to annul the marriage only if it was written in the marriage document or acknowledged by both spouses.
1- الزوجان عند شروطهما. 2- لا يكون الشرط مثبتاً لخيار فسخ عقد الزواج إلا إذا نص على الشرط كتابةً في وثيقة عقد الزواج أو أقر به الزوجان.
- Article 28
The article allows the party who stipulated a condition in the marriage contract to request annulment at any time if the other does not fulfill it, without compensation if the breach is by the husband.
إذا لم يفِ أحد الزوجين بما شرطه الآخر وفقاً لما تضمنته المادة (السابعة والعشرون) من هذا النظام؛ فللمشترط طلب فسخ عقد الزواج متى شاء إلا إذا أسقط حقه صراحة. فإذا
- Article 34
The article provides that the court annuls a defective marriage, sets its effects before and after consummation, and applies its effects to a void marriage after consummation if the spouses did not know its ruling.
1- تفسخ المحكمة عقد الزواج الفاسد، ولا يترتب عليه أي أثر قبل الدخول إلا الطلاق إذا أوقعه الزوج فيقع بائناً بينونةً صغرى. 2- يترتب على الزواج الفاسد بعد الدخول م
- Article 76
The article sets out the cases in which separation occurs between spouses: divorce, khul', annulment of the marriage contract, the death of either spouse, and li'an.
تحصل الفرقة بين الزوجين في أي من الحالات الآتية: 1- الطلاق. 2- الخُلع. 3- فسخ عقد الزواج. 4- وفاة أحد الزوجين. 5- اللعان بين الزوجين.
- Article 103
Every separation between spouses by court judgment counts as a termination (faskh), is an irrevocable separation of the lesser degree, and is not counted among the three divorces.
كل تفريق بحكم قضائي يعد فسخًا، وتكون فرقة بائنة بينونة صغرى، ولا تحسب من التطليقات الثلاث.
- Article 104
Either spouse may request termination of the marriage because of a harmful or repellent defect in the other that prevents marital relations, unless the requester knew of it at the contract or showed consent to it after learning of it.
1- لكل من الزوجين طلب فسخ عقد الزواج لعلة مضرة في الآخر أو منفرة تمنع المعاشرة الزوجية -سواء كانت العلة قبل عقد الزواج أو طرأت بعده- ما لم يكن طالب الفسخ عالماً
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.