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What is the ruling on a financially capable husband who does not fulfill his wife's and children's rights regarding maintenance and clothing, threatens divorce when complained to, and hosts his nephews in his wife's house, which is not large enough for her and her daughters?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A husband must provide for his wife and children equitably. If he falls short in providing maintenance despite being able to, he is sinful, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "It is sufficient sin for a person to neglect those whom he is responsible to support." It is permissible for the wife to take her maintenance from his money without his knowledge. An unsuitable dwelling entitles the wife to demand a proper dwelling from her husband, and he is not allowed to refuse to provide it or threaten divorce. One can resort to the wise members of the family, or refer the matter to the Sharia courts to compel the husband to provide the obligatory maintenance, or request a divorce. It is not permissible for the wife to go out to work except with her husband's permission. The husband may house his nephews in a separate part of the house, as long as this does not lead to unlawful seclusion or mixing.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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