A Wife Must Obey Her Husband
➊ Allah the Exalted says:
فَإِنْ أَطَعْنَكُمْ فَلا تَبْغُوا عَلَيْهِنَّ سَبِيلًا [An-Nisa: 34]
“If they obey you, then do not seek a way against them.”
➋ It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: “When a man calls his wife to his bed and she refuses to come, and he spends the whole night angry with her, the angels continue to curse that woman until morning.”
[Bukhari: 3237, Kitab Bad’ al-Khalq: Bab Idha Qala Ahadukum Amin; Muslim: 1436]
➌ It is narrated from Talq ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “When a man calls his wife for his need (i.e., intercourse), she should come even if she is at the oven (baking bread).”
[Sahih: Al-Sahihah: 1202; Sahih Tirmidhi: 927; Kitab al-Nikah: Bab Ma Ja’a fi Haqq al-Zawj ala al-Mar’ah; Tirmidhi: 1160; Ahmad: 22/4]
➍ It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: “If I were to command anyone to prostrate to another, I would command the woman to prostrate to her husband.”
[Hasan Sahih: Sahih Tirmidhi: 926 also; Tirmidhi: 1159; Bayhaqi: 291/7]
➎ It is narrated from Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, you have a right over your wives, and your wives have a right over you. Your right over your wives is that they should not allow those whom you dislike to sit on your bed, nor allow into your houses those whom you detest. And beware! The rights of women over you are that you show kindness to them in their clothing and food.”
[Hasan: Sahih Tirmidhi: 929 also; Tirmidhi: 1163; Ibn Majah: 1751]
The above evidences require that it is obligatory for a woman to obey her husband. Moreover, household chores are also the responsibility of the woman, such as cleaning and cooking, etc., because from the earliest times these tasks have been performed by women. Even in the era of the Messenger, the women of the Companions did all these tasks. Not only that, but they also did strenuous work outside the home, and it is never heard that women said it was not their responsibility. As Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) had marks on her hands from grinding with the millstone, and marks had appeared on her shoulders from carrying water skins, yet when she complained of this to the Prophet ﷺ, he did not say that these were not her responsibility, but rather placed all these tasks upon her.
[Bukhari: 3705, Kitab Fada’il Ashab al-Nabi: Bab Manaqib Ali ibn Abi Talib]
(Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him): It is obligatory for a wife to serve her husband in a reasonable manner (household chores, etc.), because the husband, according to the Book of Allah, is her master, and according to the Sunnah of the Messenger, she is like a captive with him. Indeed, a captive or a slave must serve his master.
[Fatawa al-Nisa: p. 265]
