Islam on Marital Rights — Page 35
ISLAM ON MARITAL RIGHTS 35. Quran has laid down a basic rule for us in this connection. It says: "The rich man according to his means and the poor man according to his means. " It is therefore wrong if a poor person is required to pay what he cannot afford or a rich man tries to give less than what he can afford. . WIVES DUES. In Abu Da'ood, a well-known collection of Traditions, we have that a Companion once asked the Holy Prophet (s. a. w. ), "What is due to our wives from us?" The Holy Prophet (s. a. w. ) replied, "When you dine, make your wife also partake thereof and when you put on clothes, provide garments for her as well. This injunction stipulates that to feed, clothe and provide the necessities of life to the wife, befitting his position, is the responsibility of the husband. If he fails in this, it will affect adversely the health of his children and their social status. . The Holy Quran says. "Kill not your children for fear of poverty. ” (17:32). . Niggardliness in providing proper food to one's family for fear of poverty will not only impair the health of children but will also retard the growth of their bodies. Hence it is imperative for us not to be too parsimonious in the matter of our diet. Some people have the means but are not prepared to spend for the legitimate necessities of their wives. It should however, be remembered that. Islam prohibits extravagance and does not load the husband beyond his capacity, for it is mentioned in the Quran: "Let him who has abundance of means spend out of his abundance. And let him whose means of subsistence are straightened, spend out of what Allah has given. Allah burdens not any soul beyond that which He has given it. " (65:8). LEGITIMATE USE OF PRIVILEGES. It is an important part of a husband's role that he should judiciously exercise his prerogative of being the "qawwaam” and not abuse it by behaving like a tyrant. For instance, it would be