Does a wife's statement equating her husband to her father's back constitute Zihar?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Zihar
Primary text
When a wife says to her husband, 'You are to me like the back of my father,' or 'If I marry so-and-so, he is to me like the back of my father,' this does not constitute Zihar. This is the ruling of Al-Qadi, adopted by the majority, including Malik, Al-Shafi'i, Ishaq, Abu Thawr, and the Companions of the School of Opinion (Ashab al-Ra'y). The evidence is the Divine statement: "And those who pronounce Zihar concerning their wives" (Quran 58:2), which specifically mentions men. Furthermore, Zihar involves a prohibition concerning the wife which the husband has the power to remove, thus it is exclusive to the man, like divorce. Also, marital intimacy is a right of the husband, so the wife does not have the right to remove it, similar to his other rights.
Supporting text
Al-Zuhri, Al-Awza'i, and a narration from Al-Hasan and Al-Nakha'i consider it Zihar, though Al-Nakha'i qualified this by saying it is nothing if stated after she is already married to him. They may argue that since a spouse is performing Zihar against the other, it should be considered Zihar, as with the husband.