What Do I Do If My Husband Does Not Give Me Sufficient Financial Support?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

What do I do if my husband is financially well off, yet he does not give me sufficient financial support?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Financial support is a right of the wife over her husband. It relates to her clothing, her food, and all things that are seen as essential necessities. Furthermore, the amount is determined based on the husband’s financial status. [al-Mawsu’a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya]

Allah Most High says, “Mothers suckle their children for two whole years, if they wish to complete the term, and clothing and maintenance must be borne by the father in a fair manner.” [Qur’an; 2:233]

The phrase ‘fair manner‘ comes from the Arabic word M’aruf  which means that which is customarily sufficient as financial support.

Customary Financial Support

The Sacred Law does not stipulate a specific monetary amount for the financial support owed to a spouse or other family member, however, it is determined  based upon customary sufficiency. So, if your husband is not giving you enough to fulfill your basic necessities – it is permissible for you to demand more, and to even take it without consent, if you have access to it. [al-Mawsu’a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya]

Hind bint Rabi’a (Allah be pleased with her) complained to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) saying, “Indeed, Abu Sufyan (her husband) is a miserly man, and I have need to take from his wealth.” He (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Take what suffices you and your child in a customarily fair manner.” [Bukhari]

If, still, your husband does not give you what suffices your essential needs, you are permitted to withhold fulfillment of his rights over you, and to seek redress from a judge (qadi) or Mufti (legal jurist). Even someone of your family and his to adjudicate between you two can be brought in to help in achieving a fair amount.  [al-Mawsu’a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya]

Communication

The above are merely legal limits are are not necessarily solutions to your situation. When spouses begin to draw lines in the sand, adamantly declaring who’s right is who’s, this is a bad sign. This is not to say that you should allow yourself to be treated unfairly.

Allah Most High gives a solution to marital discrepancies. He says, “If you anticipate a split between them, appoint a mediator from his family and another from hers. If they desire reconciliation, Allah will restore harmony between them. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” [Qur’an; 4:35]

Express what you are experiencing to your husband and what has been expressed in this answer; if you are unable to come to a fair agreement, invite a mediator from each side to help come to that fair middle ground. Seek help from Allah Most High through the Prayer of Need. 

Hope this helps

Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.