Right's & Duties Of a Wife

Rights of a Wife
The Noble Qur'an states:
"And among His signs is that He created for you wives from among yourselves that you may live in tranquility with them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for people who reflect." (Qur'an, 30:21 ) .

Marriage is therefore not just a physical or emotional necessity, but in fact, a sign from God! It is a relationship of mutual rights and obligations based on divine guidance. God created men and women with complimentary natures, and in the Qur'an, He laid out a system of laws to support harmonious interaction between the sexes.

"...They are garments for your and you are garments for them." (Qur'an, 2:187 ) .

Clothing provides physical protection and covers the beauty and faults of the body. Likewise, a spouse is viewed this way. Each protects the other and hides the faults and compliments the characteristics of the spouse.

To foster the love and security that comes with marriage, Muslim wives have various rights. The first of the wife's rights is to receive mahr, a gift from the husband that is part of the marriage contract and required for the legality of the marriage.

The second right of the wife is maintenance. Despite any wealth she may have, her husband is obligated to provide her with food, shelter and clothing. He is not forced, however, to spend beyond his capability and his wife is not entitled to make unreasonable demands. The Qur'an states:
"Let the man of means spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him. Allah will grant after hardship, ease."
( Qur'an, 65:7 ) .

God tells us men are guardians over women and are afforded the leadership in the family. His responsibility for obeying God extends to guiding his family to obey God at all times.

A wife's rights also extend beyond material needs. She has the right to kind treatment. The Prophet (P.B.U.H.) said: "The most perfect believers are the best in conduct. And the best of you are those who are best to their wives." God tells us He created mates and put love, mercy, and tranquility between them. Both men and women have a need for companionship and sexual needs, and marriage is designed to fulfill those needs.

Duties of a Wife
With rights come responsibilities. Therefore, wives have certain obligations to their husbands. The Qur'an states:
"The righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in the absence of their husbands their rights as Allah has enjoined upon them to be guarded." (Qur'an, 4:34 ) .

A wife is to keep her husband's secrets and protect their marital privacy. Issues of intimacy or faults of his that would dishonor him, are not to be disclosed by the wife, just as he is expected to guard her honour.

A wife must also guard her husband's property. She must safeguard his home and possessions, to the best of her ability, from theft or damage. She should manage the household affairs wisely so as to prevent loss or waste. She should not allow anyone to enter the house whom her husband dislikes nor incur any expenses of which her husband disapproves.

A Muslim woman must cooperate and coordinate with her husband. There cannot, however, be cooperation with a man who is disobedient to God. She should not fulfill his requests if he wants her to do something unlawful. A husband also should not take advantage of his wife, but be considerate of her needs and happiness.

Conclusion
The Qur'an states:
"And it is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter (for them), that they should (after that) have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he verily goes astray in error manifest." (Qur'an, 33:36 ) .

The Muslim woman was given a role, duties and rights 1400 years ago that most women do not enjoy today, even in the West. These are from God and are designed to keep balance in society; Islam is a complete way of life.

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