Rights and Obligations of Husband and Wife
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When the marriage contract is completed, a series of reciprocal rights and obligations are born between husband and wife. The Qur'an summarizes the principle beautifully: "And they (wives) have rights in balance with their obligations in a makruf manner" (QS Al-Baqarah: 228). The husband's main obligation is maintenance: providing for his family's food, clothing and shelter needs according to his ability (QS Ath-Thalaq: 7). Livelihood is not a generosity that can be withheld, but an obligation that will be questioned before God. In addition to providing financial support, a husband is obliged to treat his wife with dignity - gentle, fair and patient. The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam said that the best of you are those who are kindest to their families, and he himself was an example: at home he sewed his own clothes and helped his family with work. The wife's obligations revolve around obeying goodness and maintaining the trust of the household: protecting herself, her husband's property and family secrets. This obedience is not servitude - it only applies in cases that do not violate God's commands, because there is no obedience to creatures in disobeying the Creator. And above all these divisions there are mutual rights: mu'asyarah bil makruf โ good company. Covering each other's shortcomings, as the Qur'an describes husband and wife as each other's clothing (QS Al-Baqarah: 187). Clothes cover shame, warm, and beautify โ that's how two people in one house should be. The household in Islam is not just an arena for demanding rights, but rather a competition to fulfill obligations. When the husband is busy fulfilling his obligations and the wife is busy fulfilling hers, each other's rights are fulfilled without needing to be asked โ and that is where sakinah, mawaddah, and rahmah find a place to grow.