DAILY ISLAMIC  REMINDER. Yaum Arba'a, 21st day of Dhul Hijjah (Wednesday, 20th July 2022). 

DOES A WIFE WHO IS EMPLOYED HAVE TO PAY/SHARE THE HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES?. BismilLah. 

This is a sensitive question to our modern marriages especially those of us living abroad. I will try to cover this topic base on Qur'an, Sunnah and Consensus of Muslim scholars without been bias towards the husband or wife in shaa ALLAH but please bear with me on the length. 

Husband and wife should come to some agreement concerning this issue  and avoid any dispute concerning it.

With regard to how that should be done, this depends on a number of things:

1. If the husband stipulated in the marriage contract that expenses are to be shared otherwise he will not let the wife work, then the Muslims are bound by their conditions, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of ALLAH be upon him) said:

“The Muslims are bound by their conditions, except for conditions which forbid something that is permitted or permit something that is forbidden.” And he (peace and blessings of ALLAH be upon him) said:

“The conditions which are most deserving of fulfilment are those by means of which sexual intimacy becomes permissible for you.”

So you are bound by the conditions you made, if you made any conditions [in your marriage contract] OR verbal to her.

2. If you did not make any conditions, then the household expenses are all the responsibility of the husband, and the wife does not have to pay any of the household expenses; he is the one who has to pay them. ALLAH says:

“Let the rich man spend according to his means”[al-Talaaq 65:7]

And the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of ALLAH be upon him) said: “You are obliged to spend on them and clothe them according to what is reasonable.”

So spending is the obligation of the husband. He is the one who should take care of the household needs and his own needs and those of his wife and children. (The wife’s) money and salary belong to her, because that is given in return for her work and her efforts. (The husband) draw up the marriage contract on that basis, and he did not stipulate any condition that she should pay the household expenses, or half of them, etc. – unless she gives up any part of her salary of her own good pleasure,

“but if they, of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, take it, and enjoy it without fear of any harm (as ALLAAH has made it lawful)”

[al-Nisaa’ 4:4]

But if the marriage contract was drawn up on the basis of any such condition, then the Muslims are bound by their conditions.

For the couple living abroad, the wife should give up part of their salary to their husband in order to please him and to resolve the dispute and solve the problem, so that you may live in peace and harmony. So agree upon something between yourselves, such as one half of the salary, or one-third, or one-quarter, etc., so that the problem will be solved and so that love and harmony may take the place of conflict as he has right to stop the wife from working unless if agreed on the marriage contract to allow her to work. Or perhaps he will agree and be content with what ALLAAH has decreed for him, and he will spend according to his means, and he will forego all of the wife salary and have some pride concerning the matter. May ALLAH keep guiding us all and protect us from any satanic influences. Aameen.