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:
Your husband needs to do his best not to leave you for long time and try to visit you from time to time to preserve your chastity. Till you solve your problem, you can fill your time with beneficial activities.
Responding to your question, Dr. Muhammad Salama, PhD in Islamic Studies in English and an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Science, Al-Madinah International University, states:
Masturbation is prohibited as inferred from the Qur’anic verse, “…the ones, moreover, who are ever vigilant as to [the chastity of] their secret parts- except [in associating] with their wives, or [with] whomever their hands may rightfully possess, for, then, they are not blameworthy; but whoever seeks [a way] beyond this, then it is they who are the transgressors.” (Al-Mu’minun 23:5-7)
But if a person is in an actual situation where he/she fears to commit adultery (zina), such a person may masturbate based on the principle of committing the lesser of two evils.
One of the great purposes of the marital relationship is to satisfy the sexual desire of both spouses. It is a duty on your husband to take care of you in this respect. Therefore, your husband needs to do his best not to leave you for long time and try to visit you from time to time to preserve your chastity.
Until you solve this issue with your husband, you need to fill your time with good activities and religious practices. Also fasting will help you to overcome the situation, insha’ Allah. May Allah help and protect you.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.