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What should a mother do who supports her family because her husband refuses to work for unhealthy reasons, and she feels exhausted from meeting his increasing demands and bearing debts?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Islam has made men in charge of women for two reasons: obligating them to spend, and their preference, as indicated by the verse: (Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has preferred some of them over others and by [right of] what they spend from their wealth). Scholars have unanimously agreed on the obligation of a man to financially support his wife and minor children, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "And they have a right upon you to their provision and their clothing, in a reasonable manner." And the Almighty's saying: (And upon the father is their provision and their clothing, according to what is reasonable). The man must fear Allah and fulfill his responsibility, and not meet the blessing of a righteous wife with ingratitude or use this as a pretext to abandon work. The wife must be patient and seek reward from Allah, for what she spends is a charity for which she will be rewarded. She should also pray for her husband to be guided and remind him of the necessity of working, and seek help from those who have influence over him to rectify his situation.

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

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