THE DAILY ISLAMIC REMINDERS. Yaum Al-thalaatha, 14th day of SAFAR 1440, (Tuesday 23rd October, 2018). EFFECTS OF THE A SOUND MARRIAGE: RIGHTS OF THE HUSBAND and WIFE. Reloaded due to popular request. Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem. The first thing that every married Muslim must realize is that one's spouse is first and foremost another Muslim. He/she is one's brother and sister in Islam. Therefore, at minimum all rights that fall upon a Muslim due to the general brotherhood of Islam are also due to one's spouse. It is a sad situation for a Muslim brother or sister to respect their Muslim brothers and sisters outside of the house but for the situation in the house to degenerate into less even than that minimum standard of respect and kindness inside the household. Therefore the first step is for every Muslim to open some of the books about respect, manners (adab) and courtesy towards other Muslims and to realize that all of those principles apply to their partner in their house. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stressed this when he said: "No one of you has believed until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." [Bukhari & Muslim]. Clearly, husband and wife have even greater rights and obligations toward each other due to the great and important contract which has been transacted between them and on which basis they live together. In the Quran, Allah states that if a husband wishes to divorce one wife and marry another that he may not take back any of the dowry which was given no matter how large it was. Then, Allah says: "How could you take it once you have entered unto one another and they (the women) have taken from you and awesome covenant."  [Noble Quran 4:21]. Because of this "awesome covenant", rights and obligations between husband and wife should not be looked at coldly or legalistically. Spouses should strive to make other happy and take into consideration the needs, abilities and weaknesses of the other. Since in most cases, neither spouse is completely fulfilling their obligations, they should both realize and acknowledge their own shortcomings. One Right of the Wife Over the Husband which is more important is the Dowry (Mahr, the gift to the wife). This right of the wife has been discussed in some detail. Allah said in the Quran: "And give women their dowries as a gift. Then, if they are pleased to give some of it to you, consume it with good health and enjoyment." [Noble Quran 4:4]. The payment of the dowry to the wife is an obligation and a debt upon the husband until he pays it and there is no escaping it unless the wife freely and willingly gives up her right to it. In the past, and in many cases today, the father tries to take the mahr away from his daughter. In the jahiliya, this was justified by saying that the father was merely recouping all the expenses he put forth for his daughter who is now a member of another family and benefits them. The Mahar is only for the daughter not the parents. The parents maybe given some money towards the wedding preparation but this should not be part of the mahar please. Nowadays, it occurs often in many country that the husband tries to take back the dowry (if it is even paid in the first place) or make use of it in forms of spending which were obligatory upon HIM in the first place. This is a lowly practice and is completely forbidden unless she explicitly allows it without any coercion or pressure. Otherwise, it is HER property and she may dispose of it (or not) as she alone sees fit. May ALLAH help us all in our marriages and have mercy on our singles to find their rightful husbands. Aameen.