Understanding a Husband’s Rights in Islamic Marriage
Praise be to Allah عزّ وجلّ, peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammed صلَّى الله عليه وسل
In an Islamic marriage, the husband has certain rights with regard to his wife.
Obedience in Righteousness: A Wife’s Duty Within Islamic Marriage |
The wife’s righteous obedience to her husband is one of Allah’s عزّ وجلّ commandments (The Quran 4:34)..
The wife is encouraged and required to follow her husband’s recommendations as long as he does not ask her to do anything prohibited. This is the principle of marriage and of a couple’s relationship in Islam. (Tirmidhi Hadith 1159, Ibn Madja Hadith 1852).
However, the husband may not behave tyrannically but rather must take care of his wife and family in a fair and balanced manner (Bukhari Hadith 5200, Muslim Hadith 1829).
Discussing things with your wife is the best way to strengthen trust and tenderness in the relationship (Tirmidhi Hadith 2822).
The Husband’s Right to Conjugal Relations (Tamkin) |
The husband has the right to freely take advantage of his wife’s sexual favors (Tirmidhi, Hadith 1160, Bukhari Hadith 5193, Muslim Hadith 1436).
Even though seeking pleasure and sexual satisfaction is not the only goal of marriage, it is an important element and has a considerable effect on maintaining a good relationship between the spouses and on strengthening family harmony.
Decision-Making and Shared Living in Islamic Marriage |
Among the husband’s rights are the selection of their home and the requirement that the wife move into it. This right is conditional on payment of the dower or the portion that is immediately due under the marriage contract.
However, the husband may not require his wife to share a home with his parents.
The wife may also refuse the home for various reasons, such as lack of comfort, the type of neighborhood or because it is poorly protected from burglary, for example.
If the husband provides a proper and decent home for his wife, she may not refuse it unless certain features or even a specific location for the home were written into the marriage contract as conditions.
Protecting the Husband’s Honor and Family |
The wife has a duty to preserve her husband’s honor and protect his property and children whether she is at home or away (Quran 4:34, Bukhari Hadith 7138).
Balancing Marital Harmony and Religious Obligations |
The husband has the right for his wife to ensure that she does not allow anyone who displeases him to enter the family home (Muslim Hadith 1026).
Likewise, the wife must obey certain prohibitions in order to avoid Allah’s عزّ وجلّ wrath, harming her relationship with her husband or disrupting the home environment. She is commanded:
- Not to follow instructions from her husband that disobey Allah عزّ وجلّ (Bukhari Hadith 7145, Muslim Hadith 1840 )
- Not to harm her husband in any way (Tirmidhi Hadith 1174)
- Not to make her husband angry (Tirmidhi Hadith 360)
- Not to show ingratitude toward her husband (Abu Dawood Hadith 4811, Tirmidhi Hadith 1954)
- Not to ask her husband for a divorce (Abu Dawood Hadith 2226)
- Not to reveal private conjugal relations (Muslim Hadith 302)
- Not to fast outside of Ramadan without her husband’s permission (Bukhari, Hadith 5195, Muslim, Hadith 1146)
Learn more about the Wife’s obligations towards her husband in an Islamic marriage.
And Allah عزّ وجلّ knows best
