Is the wife sinful for refusing to travel to her husband who resides in Saudi Arabia – due to the husband's financial inability to provide accommodation – despite her ability to work to provide housing and living expenses?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Spending on the wife and children is the father's responsibility and a duty upon him, according to the consensus of scholars, if he is capable; he is sinful for neglecting it. As for the wife, she is not obligated to spend on herself or her child.
Therefore, the questioner is not obligated to work to help her husband with household expenses, and her refusal to work and travel under the condition of working is permissible. However, if she travels to live with her husband and needs to work, there is no harm in it, provided there is no -forbidden aspect to it.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/47383
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 47383
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy