The wife's right to repeal after agreeing to provide for herself
29-12-2013 | IslamWeb
Question:
a.alaykum my husband moved out of the house and demanded ishould pay half of expense coz iam working when i refused he divorce me before 1 month finnished he came and we were together and i agree to pay half rent and elactricity half before the divorce he never buys me cloth and not give me money for my being ihad complained to him before but he was mean to me so he came back to the house but he took back his first wife who is in our home countr he has now two wife and i didnt know that time i agreed to look after myself he sends money to the other wife and caters for all expenses for her but me no he dont want even single cent to give me and he shows me photo of the other wife in home country and i live with him in dubai he doesnt want to travelled with me in our home country and i have no house with him in my home countr if i will traveled alone igo to my sisters house he showed me openly that he loves the other wife when he married me he had no wife coz his first wife had divorced him in court she complained to court and was given divorce by court after he married me one year he married her back he says i agreed to look after myself thats why he is not giving me money he is not mentioning divorce directly but he says we will reach there he has abusive words to me people says he loves the other wife he is showing me also that he loves the other one what should i do coz i love him but he is very mean to me and abusive words when we had married there was no agreement of me paying expenses after he divorced then one month pass i agreed then he came back but i had no idea he is making arrangement to remarry his first wife do my agreeing to pay expenses nulifys my rights towards him because i agree to pay after he divorced then one month pass he came back the first wife in home country and has children with him iam living with him in dubai and no chilren with him also what is my situation travelling alone coz he refused to travelled with me
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His Slave and Messenger.
The husband is obliged to provide his wife with the food, clothing and accommodation according to reasonable terms. Therefore, the wife is not obliged to provide for herself [or her children] from her own money even if she is wealthy unless she does so out of her own proper consent. If she does so, she will get the reward for it, and this is a sign of her good conduct and kindness. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 186495.
If a husband leaves home or divorces his wife just because she did not help him in maintenance, then he is absolutely wrong. It is also bad for him to show his wife the picture of his other wife or to show his admiration for his other wife if his intention is to tease her or threaten her with divorce. All of this is wicked and poor conduct.
Therefore, we advise you to be patient and pray that Allaah sets him right.
Secondly, if a wife renounces her right to maintenance from her husband for some interest, and then she would like to restore her rights, then she has the right to do so, as this is considered a gift that is not yet possessed, and so, it is permissible to retract it.
However, the husband is obliged to provide fairly for both his wives and to spend an equal amount of nights with each, even if they are in two different countries as we have already clarified in Fatwa 90663. Hence, you should know that his other wife has a right over him just as you have a right over him.
Finally, a woman is not permitted to travel without being accompanied by her husband or her Mahram, as this is prohibited in the Sunnah as already clarified in Fatwa 83795. Therefore, if your husband does not agree to travel with you, then you should have patience until Allaah makes him agree to travel with you or you should seek a way to bring one of your Mahram men to travel with you. In any case, a husband should help his wife contact her family as much as possible.
Allaah Knows best.