KUALA LUMPUR: "Praise be to Allah, after two years of this case ongoing, I am extremely grateful that the decision favours us," she said.
Adibah Abdul Mutalib, 51, made this statement when the 'nusyuz' case filed by her ex-husband, Rosland Othman, 51, in December 2021, sided with her.
In August last year, it was reported that businessman Rosland, who is the husband of actress Miera Liyana ended his 28-year marriage with Adibah, who was his first wife.
Adibah said she was relieved when her name was cleared of the charge of 'nusyuz' after the proceedings.
"I don't know what to say, I am only grateful and relieved. Alhamdulillah, all of this clears my name.
"The important thing is, there's no label of 'nusyuz' and now I can move on with life. We made various efforts, and I'm grateful that the judge saw it," she told BH Online.
Adibah was met by BH Online at the Federal Territories Sharia Court here this morning.
Earlier, Rosland filed a 'nusyuz' case against Adibah while they were still husband and wife, citing the reason for disobedience to the husband's orders when she didn't seek permission to leave the house on September 24, 2021.
The 'nusyuz' case filed by Rosland as the plaintiff and Adibah as the defendant was heard before Judge Abdul Fattah Kamarudin at the Lower Sharia Court of the Federal Territories Kuala Lumpur here.
Adibah was represented by her lawyer, Junid Ramali, while Rosland was represented by Nurul Balqis Nordin.
Also present were Adibah's witness, her eldest daughter, Nur Izzah Rosland, 27, and Rosland's witness, his mother-in-law, Aisah Abdullah, 62.
Adibah's lawyer, Junid Ramali, said they were grateful that the court decided that their client was not guilty.
"Alhamdulillah, the decision is in favor of Adibah, where she was acquitted of the 'nusyuz' charge when the plaintiff's claim was rejected by the court.
"So the court accepted our argument, where we stated that the plaintiff did not sincerely attempt to reconcile the marital relationship and made the 'nusyuz' claim only to persecute the defendant or to show that only the defendant was at fault in the marital breakdown.
"We successfully convinced the court that the defendant made every effort to mend the marital relationship, but the plaintiff divorced her. We are grateful that the court accepted and ruled that the defendant is not a disobedient wife.
"What Adibah has been fighting for all this time is not doing anything disobedient and 'nusyuz' throughout the marriage as claimed by the plaintiff," he said.
Junid said the favorable decision also allows Adibah to continue her life positively.
"The society's perception of 'nusyuz' is very heavy, so when outsiders don't understand when a wife or ex-wife is accused of 'nusyuz,' it gives a negative perception.
"So, with the court's decision today, at least Adibah can continue her life as usual without any negative perception towards her. This proves that Adibah is innocent and was fulfilling her responsibilities as a wife properly," he said.
Junid added that they would continue with the hadanah trial and further claims.
"We have discussed well for her rights as a wife for 28 years, and Adibah also has her rights. If it can't be resolved amicably, God willing, we will try to fight for her rights," he said.
Meanwhile, Rosland declined to comment and left after the proceedings ended.
However, his lawyer gave a brief response.
"My client is not ready to make a statement," he said.
Earlier, Adibah was divorced by 'talak satu' by Rosland, who is also a businessman, before Judge of the Lower Sharia Court, Siti Noraini Mohd Ali, at the Lower Sharia Court of the Federal Territories Kuala Lumpur on August 3 last year.
They had lived together for 28 years, established a family on June 3, 1995, and were blessed with five daughters aged between 11 and 26.
Rosland remarried Miera in July 2020.