When is a man considered stingy toward his wife and children in Islamic Sharia?

Stinginess is a reprehensible characteristic, and scholars have differed in defining it. Some believe it is withholding zakat (definition), while others believe it is withholding obligatory duties like zakat and maintenance (nafaqah (definition)). Still others consider it neglecting to perform obligatory acts and noble deeds.

Ibn al-Qayyim held that a miser is one who withholds what is obligatory upon him. As for al-Ghazali and Ibn 'Uthaymeen, they believed that a miser withholds where he ought not to withhold, whether by the ruling of Sharia (definition) or by chivalry (muru'ah).

A man is obliged to provide for his wife and children with what is customary (bil-ma'ruf), which includes food, drink, clothing, housing, medical treatment, and education. The maintenance should be according to the husband's means and financial situation, as Allah Almighty says: (Let a man of wealth spend from his wealth, and he whose provision is restricted - let him spend from what Allah has given him. Allah does not charge a soul except [according to] what He has given it).