I'm a revert to Shia faith and my husband is a Sunni. However , my family and my husband don't know about my faith since it'll cause them to break ties with me. Now, I'm married to my husband for 4 months and he's being really toxic towards me. He doesn't respect me or care for me like a husband does and gets mad if I try to approach. We are at the moment in a long distance relationship and won't be meeting until 2021. I'm trying my best to cope with this situation. And I can't tell anything to my parents since he's my cousin and my parents will take his side. Could you advice me Sheikh on what strategies I should follow in order to help this relationship grow. I don't want my husband to leave me God forbid.

It is important that you don’t dismiss these concerns at this stage.

Marriage is a journey, which has ups and downs, but you learn about each other

Suffering in silence is not way forward. Husband and wife need to develop communication skills, love, respect, appreciation and trust for each other. Sometimes books and courses need to be referred to. Your husband needs to understand his roles and duties going forward.

Long distance is not good and especially for a few years. The first few years of marriage are key and you should be together. It does not spell well for future if it’s a lengthy years away from each other.