Household chores suitable for men

23-2-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum. We know that helping in household chores brings reward for men. What type of chores should men do in thehome, small ones, or tasks like cleaning the house, washing clothes, and cooking? In many cultures, going overboard in doing household tasks is seen as effeminate; should men give any consideration to this?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is confirmed in Saheeh Al-Bukhari that ‘Aa’ishah said, “The Prophet used to keep himself busy serving his family, and when the time of the prayer would come, he would go out to the prayer.”

In Musnad Ahmad, ‘Aa’ishah mentioned some house chores that the Prophet used to do: searching his garment for lice, milking his sheep, and doing his chores.

Al-Iraaqi said in Tarh At-Tathreeb, “Al-Qaffal and others said that a husband may do some duties of which he does not feel ashamed, such as washing clothes, fetching water (bringing it from the well), sweeping the house, and cooking, without  doing matters that are considered as serving her (his wife), such as pouring water for her to wash her hands or carrying water to the one taking a bath.”

Some of these matters mentioned by Al-Qaffaal may be particular to women in some communities, so the customs and traditions of the people is what should be taken into account in this regard.

Allah knows best.