Why do the Imams believe that the husband's right is greater than the wife's right, and is the saying of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, "Treat women kindly," an obligation or a command, and is it permissible for a woman to go out for recreation with her friends without the permission of her husband or family?
It is advisable to refer to specialized books to address the confusion in understanding the status of women, their rights, and their duties, such as: "Woman Between the Honor of Islam and the Disgrace of Ignorance" by Muhammad Ismail al-Muqaddim, and "Woman Between Ignorance and Islam" by Sheikh Muhammad Hamid al-Nasser. This is to emphasize that women have inherent rights regardless of their status, and that the association with the orphan in the Prophetic Hadith came to illustrate the necessity of fulfilling women's rights and the severity of neglecting them. A woman's going out for recreation is encouraged to maintain affection, and describing a woman as an "amah" (female servant/slave) is permissible; what is sound from it is accepted and what is false is rejected. So, if the intention is the right to obedience and service with kindness, and giving precedence to the husband's right and the right of infallibility, then this is correct. However, if the intention is insult and degradation, then it is false.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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