The Responsibilities of a Wife

Fatwa by: Former Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him)

Question:

I read a fatwa in a magazine by a scholar who stated that a wife is not obligated to serve her husband at all. According to him, marriage is only for the fulfillment of sexual desires. If a wife does serve her husband, it is considered part of good companionship, but not a duty. He also mentioned that if a wife does not want to serve her husband or is unable to take care of herself, it is the husband's responsibility to hire a servant. Is this fatwa correct? And if it is not, then it is worrying because the magazine is widely circulated, and such a fatwa could lead to many wives neglecting their husbands, leaving them isolated.

Answer:
This fatwa is neither correct nor based on any practice of the early generations. The female companions (Sahabiyat) of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to serve their husbands, as is evident from the account of Asma bint Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her), who narrated how she used to serve her husband, Zubair bin Al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him). Similarly, Fatimah al-Zahra (may Allah be pleased with her), the daughter of the Prophet, would also serve her husband, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). There are numerous other examples of such conduct.

It has been the custom in Muslim societies from the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) until today that wives typically take care of their husbands’ general needs, such as cooking, washing clothes, cleaning utensils, keeping the house tidy, and, in rural settings, tending to animals and milking them. This practice is well-established and has been followed without objection.

However, a wife should not be burdened with tasks that are too difficult for her. She is only obligated to serve her husband according to her capacity and within the limits of what is customary in society.

And Allah knows best.
 
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