Educational article based on the Qur'an and authentic Sunnah. For a ruling on your own situation, please ask a qualified scholar.
Marriage in Islam is a covenant with rights on both sides. Allah says of wives: “And they have rights similar to those over them, according to what is reasonable” (Qur'an 2:228). Knowing these rights helps a husband fulfil them with love, and helps a wife know what Allah has given her. Here are the rights of a wife in Islam, each with its source.
1. Her mahr belongs to her alone
The mahr is the gift a husband gives his wife at marriage. Allah says: “And give women their bridal gifts graciously” (Qur'an 4:4). It is her property, not her family's and not her husband's. The same verse says that he may only take any of it if she gives it up willingly.
2. Provision: food, clothing and what she needs
A husband is responsible for his wife's provision (nafaqah), according to his means: “Let the man of wealth spend from his wealth, and he whose provision is restricted, let him spend from what Allah has given him” (Qur'an 65:7).
When a companion asked the Prophet ﷺ what right a wife has over her husband, he began: “That you feed her when you eat, and clothe her when you clothe yourself” (Sunan Abi Dawud 2142, hasan sahih). In his Farewell Sermon he said of wives: “They have a right over you: their provision and their clothing, in a fitting manner” (Sahih Muslim 1218).
This is a right, not a favour. When Hind bint Utbah complained that her husband did not give her enough for herself and her children, the Prophet ﷺ told her: “Take what is sufficient for you and your children, in a reasonable way” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5364). And it is rewarded: “You will never spend anything seeking the pleasure of Allah except that you will be rewarded for it, even the morsel you place in your wife's mouth” (Sahih al-Bukhari 56).
3. A home of her own
A husband must give his wife suitable housing. About wives in their waiting period after a divorce, Allah says: “Lodge them where you live, according to your means, and do not harm them to make things difficult for them” (Qur'an 65:6). Scholars reason that if this is owed after a divorce, it is owed all the more within a marriage. Many scholars, including the Hanafi school, add that she has the right to private space of her own, which she is not made to share with others against her wishes.
4. To be treated with kindness and honour
Allah commands: “And live with them in kindness” (Qur'an 4:19). The same verse continues: if you dislike them, perhaps you dislike something in which Allah has placed much good. The Prophet ﷺ said: “A believing man should not hate a believing woman. If he dislikes one of her traits, he will be pleased with another” (Sahih Muslim 1469).
He made kindness to one's wife the measure of a man's character: “The most complete of the believers in faith are those with the best character, and the best of you are those who are best in character to their wives” (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1162, hasan). And he lived it, helping at home and serving his family (Sahih al-Bukhari 676).
5. Freedom from harm
No right of a husband allows him to harm his wife. Even about divorce, Allah says: “Do not hold on to them to harm them, transgressing against them” (Qur'an 2:231). Aisha said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never struck a woman or a servant with his hand (Sahih Muslim 2328), and he named not insulting her among a wife's rights (Sunan Abi Dawud 2142).
If a wife is harmed and the marriage cannot be repaired, Islamic law gives her a way out: she can seek a separation through khul', or ask a judge to dissolve the marriage.
6. Affection, companionship and intimacy
A wife has a right to her husband's time, affection and intimacy. When a companion devoted every night to prayer and every day to fasting, the Prophet ﷺ told him: “Your wife has a right over you” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5199). Read more in Mutual Rights in the Marital Bed, in our overview of intimacy in Islam, and in full in The Complete Guide to Intimacy in Islam.
Part of this is privacy: what happens between them is a trust he must keep. See why Islam protects marital privacy.
7. Her money is her own
Islam gave women financial independence fourteen centuries ago: “For men is a share of what they have earned, and for women is a share of what they have earned” (Qur'an 4:32). Whatever a wife owns or earns, including her mahr, gifts and inheritance, remains hers. She is not obliged to spend it on the household, because providing for the home is her husband's duty. If she chooses to help, it is a kindness from her, and she is rewarded for it (Sahih al-Bukhari 1466).
8. Consent to her marriage
A woman's rights begin before the nikah. The Prophet ﷺ said: “A previously married woman is not to be married until she is consulted, and a virgin is not to be married until her permission is sought” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5136). A marriage forced on a woman goes against this clear teaching.
9. Justice if there is more than one wife
A man with more than one wife must treat them justly in time, provision and housing. Allah says: “But if you fear that you will not be just, then marry only one” (Qur'an 4:3).
Rights go both ways
A husband has rights over his wife too, and the Qur'an calls spouses garments for one another (Qur'an 2:187). The aim is not to keep score but to give each other what Allah has asked, generously. Our books The Muslim Wife and The Muslim Husband explain both sides in a practical, gentle way.
The rights of a wife in Islam, in brief
- Her mahr, which is hers alone (Qur'an 4:4).
- Provision of food, clothing and her needs, according to his means (Qur'an 65:7).
- Suitable housing, with privacy (Qur'an 65:6).
- Kind and honourable treatment (Qur'an 4:19).
- Freedom from harm and insult (Qur'an 2:231, Sunan Abi Dawud 2142).
- Affection, companionship and intimacy (Sahih al-Bukhari 5199).
- Ownership of her own wealth (Qur'an 4:32).
- Consent to her marriage (Sahih al-Bukhari 5136).
- Justice between wives, where there is more than one (Qur'an 4:3).
Frequently asked questions
Does a wife have a right to her husband's salary?
She has a right to be provided for from it, fairly and according to his means. That does not make his whole income hers, but he may not withhold what she needs (Sahih al-Bukhari 5364).
Does a wife have to pay for the household?
No. Providing for the home is the husband's responsibility. A wife who chooses to help does a generous kindness and is rewarded for it.
Does a husband have rights too?
Yes. Among them are his wife's loyalty, her care for their home and his honour in his absence, and her response to him in intimacy unless she has a valid excuse. Both sets of rights are meant to be fulfilled with kindness.
Tell her what she means to you
Rights are the minimum. Love is what you give beyond them. Our free letter writer helps you write her a heartfelt letter, with an authentic verse or hadith, in a minute.