Husband's Financial Responsibilty in Islam

Before his obligation to provide support for his children and uṣūl family members, a Muslim man is obligated to financially support his wife and all her needs.

In fact, according to Islamic law, the nafaqah (financial maintenance during the marriage) a man owes his wife is the most important category of nafaqah because it does not expire with time, but lasts as long as they stay married. This differs from the nafaqah he is obligated to provide his children, which some scholars believe ends upon puberty.

It also differs from the nafaqah provided to usul or al-ḥawāshī relatives, which is provided based on need and only when the wife and children’s nafaqah rights, for instance, are fulfilled. A husband’s obligatory nafaqah toward his wife is not allocated to her because she is needy (as in the situation of other relatives), but, quite simply, a requirement during the matrimony. On one occasion, a man who wanted to know how to spend his money in a way pleasing to Allah asked the Messenger

O Messenger of Allah, I have one dinar, he [the Messenger] said: “Spend it on yourself.” He [the man] then said: “I have another dinar.” He [the Messenger] said: “Spend it on your wife.” He [the man] then said: “I have another,” he [the Messenger] said: “Spend it on your children.” He [the man] said: “I have one more,” he [the Messenger] said: “Spend it on your servant.” He [the man] said, “I have one more,” then he [the Messenger] said: “Spend it on whatever you please.”

From this Hadith, it is clear that a man must financially provide for his wife before anyone else, prioritizing his responsibility toward his wife over even his children. It also indicates the responsibility of the husband to cover the costs of household help, which purportedly would support him, his wife, and children.According to the schools of jurisprudence, a man is required to include household or maid services as part of the required nafaqah with some caveats:in lieu of hiring help, for instance, a husband may personally offer the necessary household assistance himself (and his wife has the option to accept or reject that offer). Importantly, although a man may have close relatives in need of nafaqah, his wife, followed by his children, will always take precedence.

Only after his nuclear family members has been cared for does Islamic law permit him to tend to anyone else. The Ḥanbalī school of jurisprudence explains the reasoning behind this hierarchy:

That is because the wife’s nafaqah is contractually provided in exchange for something else [the marriage, companionship, and/or intimacy] whereas the nafaqah for relatives is provided out of compassion; therefore the wife’s [nafaqah] was prioritised...and it is for this reason that it is a liability (on him) whether [his] financial situation is good or bad.

Furthermore, the wife’s nafaqah becomes an obligation because it serves his own needs. Therefore, it is prioritised over the financial needs of his relatives it is like him spending on his own self

Imam al-Shāfiʿī cited the third verse of the Qur’anic chapter Sūrah al-Nisā’, described earlier in this chapter, as further evidence of the gravity with which a Muslim man should treat the nafaqah he owes his wife. Recall that the verse grants men permission to marry up to four women, but with the condition that if a man fears he cannot be fair to his wives, he must marry only one. Imam al- Shāfiʿī interpreted the word “injustice” as referring to a man’s failure to provide equal financial support to each of his wives.

Based on the Qur’an, Sunnah, and unanimous scholarly consensus, the husband becomes fully financially responsible for providing for his wife once a couple has consummated the marriage – in fact, even if the couple has not yet been intimate, if the husband has not yet given the wife the initial portion of her mahr which they agreed would be immediately provided upon marrying (muqaddam), he remains responsible to take care of her.

The Prophet once gave husbands the following advice: “Fear Allah regarding women, for you have taken them [as wives] as a trust from Allah and intercourse has been made lawful by the word of Allah, and it is your responsibility to provide for them with sustenance and clothing in a fair manner.”

The Prophet also advised men of their religious obligation to provide for their wives when he said,

“O young men, whoever amongst you can afford to get married, let him do so, and whoever cannot afford, let him fast, for that will be a shield for him.”

Thus if a man is unable to financially take care of a wife, he should not marry because he will be unable to fulfill the nafaqah requirements.

Still, many young Muslim men today hurry into marriage to satisfy their physical desires without thinking through their wives’ religious rights.

Excerpt is from The Wealth of Women by Rabab Razik

Embark on a journey through the various stages of life, from marriage to divorce
and widowhood, to witness how women living within the Islamic tradition are endowed with the right to safeguard their financial independence.

This comprehensive exploration confronts an ongoing disconnect between Islamic law and Muslim family dynamics to equip men and women alike with the knowledge and tools to uphold an important body of Islamic financial laws.

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