How can a woman's ownership of her money be reconciled with the necessity of her husband's permission to spend from it?
The majority of scholars are of the opinion that a mature woman is permitted to dispose of her own property without her husband's permission. They base this on the fact that the hadiths related to this matter are more authentic than the hadith narrated by Amr ibn Shu'ayb: "A woman's gift from her property is not permissible except with her husband's permission if her husband possesses her chastity." They also cite Quranic verses that indicate a woman's right to dispose of her property, such as the Almighty's saying: "And give the women [upon marriage] their bridal gifts graciously," and "And if you divorce them before you have touched them and you have already specified for them an obligation [of dowry] – then for you is half of what you specified – unless they forego it or he in whose hand is the marriage contract forgoes it. And to forgo it is nearer to righteousness. And do not forget graciousness between you. Indeed, Allah, of what you do, is Seeing." They also argued by the Prophet's (peace be upon him) command to Asma, Maymunah, and other women to give charity without commanding them to seek their husbands' permission, and by the permissibility of a woman's will from a third of her property. They emphasized that if her wills are permissible after her death, then her dispositions during her lifetime are even more so.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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