Her husband has forsaken her in bed for a year and a half
Question

                There is a woman who is complaining about her husband falling short with her, and she says that he has not had sex with her for one year and six months, and that he does not give her her right to intimacy. This is despite the fact that if he called her, she would not refuse, but he is the one who does not call her to that. What is the ruling on that? What should she do? Is it permissible for her to ask for divorce, because he refuses to be intimate with her and says that she is forsaking him, but that is not the case?
Praise be to Allah.
      Firstly: 

    Both spouses should be keen to fulfil rights and duties, treat one another 
    kindly, be gracious to one another, and strive to solve any problems they 
    may face, in an atmosphere of love and mutual understanding, acting in 
    accordance with the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning):

    “And live 
    with them honourably”

    [an-Nisa’ 4:19]

    “And they 
    (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses, etc.) 
    similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and 
    respect, etc.) to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of 
    responsibility) over them. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise”

    [al-Baqarah 2:228]. 

    Secondly: 
It 
    is not permissible for the husband to forsake his wife in bed for this 
    length of time, unless she is defiantly disobedient towards him and does not 
    fulfil his rights that it is obligatory for her to fulfil. In that case it 
    is permissible for him to forsake her until she repents, because Allah, may 
    He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

    “As to those women on whose part you see ill conduct, 
    admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat 
    them (lightly, if it is useful), but if they return to obedience, seek not 
    against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allah is Ever Most High, Most 
    Great”

    [an-Nisa’ 4:34]. 

    But if there is no defiant disobedience or ill conduct, it is not 
    permissible to shun them or refuse to share their beds in this manner, for 
    two reasons: 

    1.It is obligatory 
    for the husband to keep his wife chaste and to have sex with her according 
    to her needs and his ability.

    Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a 
    man who is able to stay away from his wife for one or two months, and does 
    not have intercourse with her: is there any sin on him or not? Is the 
    husband required to do that? 
He 
    replied:
It 
    is obligatory for the man to have intercourse with his wife on a reasonable 
    basis, and this is one of the most important rights that she has over him; 
    it is more important than feeding her. With regard to obligatory 
    intercourse, according to one view, it is obligatory (at least) once every 
    four months; according to another view, it should be according to her need 
    and his ability, just as he should feed her according to her need and his 
    ability. The latter is the more correct of the two opinions.

    End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (32/271). 

    2.The one who 
    refuses to have intercourse with his wife – if she is not defiantly 
    disobedient – for four months comes under the same ruling as one who swore 
    an oath (called eela’) not to have sexual relations with his wife 
    (see al-Baqarah 2:226); 
    he should be instructed (by the qaadi or judge) either to have intercourse 
    with her or to divorce her, and if he refuses to divorce her, then the qaadi 
    may issue a ruling of divorce. 

    The scholars of the Standing Committee said: If a man shuns his wife for 
    more than three months, if that is because of defiant disobedience on her 
    part, i.e., the wife is disobeying her husband with regard to marital rights 
    that are obligatory upon her, and she has persisted in that after he has 
    admonished her and reminded her to fear Allah, may He be exalted, and he has 
    reminded her of her obligatory duties towards her husband, then he may 
    forsake her in bed for as long as he wants, so as to discipline her until 
    she willingly fulfils her husband’s rights. But with regard to the husband 
    forsaking his wife in bed for more than four months, so as to cause her harm 
    without any shortcoming on her part with regard to her husband’s rights, 
    then in this case he is like one who swore an oath (called eela’) 
    not to have sexual relations with 
    his wife (see al-Baqarah 2:226), 
    even if he did not actually swear an oath to that effect. He is to be given 
    a deadline equal to the time of eela’ (which is four months), then when four 
    months have passed, if he does not come back to his wife and have 
    intercourse with her in the vagina, when he is able to do so, if she is not 
    menstruating or bleeding following childbirth, then he is to be ordered to 
    issue a divorce. If he refuses to go back to his wife and he refuses to 
    issue a divorce, then the qaadi may issue a ruling of divorce or annul the 
    marriage, if the wife requests that.

    End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah no. 20443. 

    Thirdly: 

    Our advice to you is to think about the reason why he has kept away from 
    you. Perhaps you have fallen short in adorning yourself for him, or perhaps 
    he is suffering from some sickness or problem that needs someone to help him 
    to treat it. 

    Sit down with him and have a calm discussion, without apportioning blame, 
    about the causes of this problem. If that does not help, then bring in a 
    wise and rational person from your family or his, who can help solve the 
    problem. If none of these approaches work, then in that case there is 
    nothing wrong with taking the matter to the qaadi and requesting a divorce 
    so as to ward off the harm that is affecting you. 
If 
    you choose to be patient in the hope that Allah, may He be exalted, will 
    guide your husband and put an end to his mistreatment, then there is nothing 
    wrong with doing that, in sha Allah, on condition that that will not cause 
    you hardship or expose you to temptation because of his shunning you. 
We 
    ask Allah to bring you together in a good way. 

    And Allah knows best.