Article 113 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
المادة 113 من نظام الأحوال الشخصية · الفصل الرابع: فسخ عقد الزواج
The court must terminate the marriage at the wife's request if her husband swears not to have intercourse with her for more than 4 months and does not retract, or refrains from intercourse for that period without a legitimate excuse.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
على المحكمة أن تفسخ عقد الزواج بناء على طلب الزوجة في الحالتين الآتيتين:
1- إذا حلف زوجها على عدم جماعها مدة تزيد على (أربعة) أشهر، ما لم يرجع عن يمينه قبل انقضاء الأشهر الأربعة.
2- إذا امتنع عن جماعها مدة تزيد على (أربعة) أشهر بلا عذر مشروع.
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 113 explained in plain English
This article protects the wife's right to marital relations and requires the court to terminate the marriage contract at the wife's request in two cases:
- Swearing not to have intercourse: if the husband swears not to have intercourse with his wife for more than 4 months. An exception is that he retracts his oath before the four months have passed; if he retracts within that time, there is no ground for termination under this case.
- Refraining without an oath: if the husband refrains from having intercourse with his wife for more than 4 months without a legitimate excuse.
Important notes:
- The wording "the court must terminate" means that termination is obligatory for the court once either case is established and the wife requests it.
- The period must exceed 4 months.
- In the second case, the refraining must be without a legitimate excuse; the article does not set out what forms a legitimate excuse may take.
Relation to neighboring articles: Article 112 regulates termination at the wife's request before consummation or private seclusion, and Article 114 regulates termination because of the absence of a husband whose domicile or place of residence is known, for a period of not less than 4 months.
To assess whether the husband's refraining in a particular case is for a legitimate excuse, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in personal status matters.
Practical example
A husband in Jeddah swore not to have intercourse with his wife for six months, and four months passed without his retracting his oath. The wife has the right to request termination, and the court must terminate the marriage contract under Article 113.
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 113 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
Can a wife seek termination if her husband stays away from her in bed?
Yes. If the husband refrains from having intercourse with her for more than 4 months without a legitimate excuse, the court must terminate the contract at her request.
What if the husband swears not to have intercourse and then retracts his oath?
If he retracts his oath before the four months have passed, the ground for termination in the case of an oath is not established.
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.