Answer
Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
If your husband has consistently failed in taking care of you and providing support for you, then you have a right to seek divorce from him.
In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states,
In Islam, it is the duty of the husband to provide for his wife and children. Allah says, “Men are the protectors of women, because of what (strength) Allah has given the one more than the other, and because of what they spend of their property (to maintain them)….” (An-Nisaa’ 4:34)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) further stated, “There is no sin worse than neglecting to take care of one’s family!” (Muslim)
If, therefore, your husband has consistently failed in taking care of you and providing support for you, then you have a right to seek divorce from him. But, at the same, since of all permitted things divorce is the most abominable act in the sight of Allah, we are advised against it unless and until we have exhausted all the means of reconciliation through counseling and arbitration.
So, don’t embark on divorce before involving the wise people from the community such as imams or other leaders acceptable to both of you to listen to your complaint and advise him to live up to his covenant of marriage. Should he still fail to live up to his commitment, then you are free to resort to divorce and part ways with him.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.muslims.ca