I am a working woman having three children under age of 8 years. I started my job a year before. This is customer service job so carrying a lot of pressure and stress. Working hours are very long, more than 10 hours a day. So you can imagine that with three children and full time job, life is not much easy. I would like to clear that to start the job was not my decision. I had been forced by my husband to do something to help him in economics. I realized the situation and started the job. Now with the passage of time I started noticing that my husband takes me for granted. He is not interested in fulfilling my needs. Even I don’t have freedom to spend my earnings and most of the time I am accountable for that. He is not even willing to listen that sometimes I can be tired, or sad. He doesn’t think about some recreation or entertainment together. We hardly go out for something. Even then I don’t feel comfortable and relaxed because of his behavior, I can’t buy anything for myself until he permits me to do so. I feel that he has double standards for me and for himself. I feel that I am over worked and over stressed. He doesn’t understand my situation and is focused only on his goals like good education for children and some savings. I too concerned about the future but it doesn’t mean that I should forget about the present. I tried hard to make him understand about my needs and desires but he just ignores it. I want to know that in the light of Islam that what my actual rights are on my husband and what are his rights towards me.
Answer
As far as the Islamic shariah is concerned, it is absolutely clear that a husband is responsible to earn for the family. He cannot in any case or situation force his wife to earn. If the wife out of her own wish wants to help in some financial crisis, he should be very thankful to her. However, in no case can he forcibly ask her to earn.
Also whatever a wife earns from her job primarily belongs to her. The husband has no right on it. He can only request for some support. Forcibly using the wife’s money is like violating her basic rights.
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