Husband not obliged to spend on recalcitrant wife

15-2-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykom. My wife is American and I am a Pakistani national. We got married in Saudi Arabia and live here. I am responsible for the expenses when she is living here with me. She has her business in America and has been staying there for two months in order to manage her business. I feel bad because I live here alone and long for wife. Instead of coming back and staying with me, she is asking me to send her money there in America as I am obliged to do this according to Islam. Am I obliged to do this, especially within the period that she is spending her time there for her business? Am I responsible for this according to the sharia?
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 sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

The husband is obliged to spend on his wife, even if she is rich, as we have already highlighted in fataawa 277414 and 31645.

On the other hand, the wife is obliged to obey her husband in what is reasonable and permissible. Abu Hurayrah may Allaah be pleased with him narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said, "If I would have ordered anyone to prostrate to someone other than Allaah, then I would have ordered the wife to prostrate to her husband." [At-Tirmithi]

Therefore, if you order your wife to come back to you and she refuses, then she is recalcitrant and you are not obliged to spend on her in this case. Please refer to fatwa 90507.

Also, if she travels for her need with your permission, then you are not obliged to spend on her as well. For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 306811.

Allaah knows best.

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