The meaning of the Basmalah, and the ruling on starting
with it when one reads Qur’aan
Question :
What is the meaning of the Basmalah [the Arabic words
Bismillaah il-Rahmaan il-Raheem (In the name of Allaah, the
Most Gracious, the Most Merciful)]?
And what is meant by the words “Iqra’ bismi Rabbika” (Read
(or recite) in the name of your Lord – [al-‘Alaq 96:1 –
interpretation of the meaning])?

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

When one says “Bismillaah” when starting to do anything,
what that means is, “I start this action accompanied by the
name of Allaah or seeking help through the name of Allaah,
seeking blessing thereby. Allaah is God, the beloved and
worshipped, to Whom hearts turn in love, veneration and
obedience (worship). He is al-Rahmaan (the Most Gracious)
Whose attribute is vast mercy; and al-Raheem (the Most
Merciful) Who causes that mercy to reach His creation.

It was said that what this means is: I start this action by
mentioning the name of Allaah. Ibn Jareer (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: “Allaaah, may He be exalted and His
name sanctified, taught His Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) proper manners by teaching
him to mention His most beautiful names before all his
actions. He commanded him to mention these attributes
before starting to do anything, and made what He taught him
a way for all people to follow before starting anything,
words to be written at the beginning of their letters and
books. The apparent meaning of these words indicates
exactly what is meant by them, and it does not need to be
spelled out.”

There is something omitted in the phrase “Bismillaah” when
it said before starting to do something, which may be “I
begin my action in the name of Allaah,” such as saying, “In
the name of Allaah I read”, “In the name of Allaah I
write”, “In the name of Allaah I ride”, and so on. Or, “My
starting is in the name of Allaah”, “My riding is in the
name of Allaah”, “My reading is in the name of Allaah”, and
so on.  It may be that blessing comes by saying the name of
Allaah first, and that also conveys the meaning of starting
only in the name of Allaah and not in the name of anyone
else.

The name of Allaah is the greatest name and is so well
known as to need no explanation; this is a name that
belongs exclusively to the Creator and no one else. The
correct view is that it is derived from the root aliha. He
is God (ilaah) which means that He is worshipped and is
divine.

Al-Rahmaan is one of the names of Allaah that belong
exclusively to Him. It means the One Who possesses vast
mercy, because this form (fa’laan) is indicative of
fullness and abundance. It is the most exclusive name of
Allaah after His name Allaah, just as mercy is His most
exclusive attribute. Hence this name (al-Rahmaan) often
appears after the name Allaah, as in the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad): Invoke Allaah or invoke the Most
Gracious [al-Rahmaan] (Allaah)” [al-Isra’ 17:110]

Al-Raheem is also one of the names of Allaah, and means the
One Who causes His mercy to reach those whom He wills among
His slaves.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Al-Rahmaan refers to an attribute that is connected to
Allaah and is part of His Essence, and al-Raheem refers to
a connection with the one to whom mercy is shown. The
former is adjectival (referring to what He is) and the
latter is verbal (referring to what He does). The former
indicates that mercy is His attribute, and the latter
indicates that He bestows His mercy upon His creation. If
you want to understand this then ponder the meaning of
these verses (interpretation of the meanings):

“And He is Ever Most Merciful (Raheem) to the
believers”[al-Ahzaab 33:43]

“Certainly, He is unto them full of kindness, Most Merciful
(Raheem)” [al-Tawbah 9:117]

The word al-Rahmaan is never used in this context. So we
know that the word Rahmaan means the One Whose attribute is
mercy (rahmah), and al-Raheem is the One Who bestows His
mercy.”

(Badaa’i’ al-Fawaa’id, 1/24).

Secondly:

The ruling on saying the Basmalah before reading Qur’aan
depends on the situation:

1 – If it is at the beginning of a soorah – apart from
Soorat Baraa’ah (al-Tawbah) – then the majority of imams
have stated that “it is mustahabb to recite the Basmalah at
the beginning of each soorah, in prayer or otherwise. This
should be done as a regular practice, and some of them
considered that a reading of the whole Qur’aan is
incomplete if the Basmalah was not recited at the beginning
of every soorah apart from Baraa’ah (al-Tawbah).” When Imam
Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about
reciting it at the beginning of every soorah, he said, “Do
not neglect it.”

2 – If one is starting in the middle of a soorah – which is
the case asked about in the question – then the majority of
scholars and Qur’aan readers say that there is no reason
why one should not start with it. It was said to Imam
Ahmad, after he had said that it should not be omitted at
the beginning of the soorah, “What if a person starts
reading partway through a soorah?” He said, “There is
nothing wrong [with saying the Basmalah].” Al-‘Abaadi
narrated that al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him)
regarded it as mustahabb (to say the Basmalah, when
starting to recite) partway through a soorah.

The Qur’aan readers said: It is certain that one should say
the Basmalah if the aayah which will be read after saying
it contains a pronoun that refers to Allaah, such as the
verses (interpretation of the meanings):

“To Him (Alone) is referred the knowledge of the Hour”

[Fussilat 41:47]

“And it is He Who produces gardens”[al-An’aam 6:141]

because otherwise, if one recites these verses after
seeking refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan, the pronoun
may appear to refer to the Shaytaan which would convey an
abhorrent meaning.

3 – Reciting the Basmalah at the beginning of Soorat
Baraa’ah (al-Tawbah); there is hardly any dispute among the
scholars that doing this is makrooh (disliked).

Saalih said concerning some issues that he narrated from
his father Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him): “I asked
him about Soorat al-Anfaal and Soorat al-Tawbah, whether it
is permissible for a man to separate them by saying
Bismillaah il-Rahmaan il-Raheem. My father said: ‘With
regard to the Qur’aan, reference should be made to what the
companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) were agreed on; nothing should be
added to or taken away from that.’”

4 – Reciting it partway through Soorat al-Baraa’ah
(al-Tawbah). The Qur’aan readers differed concerning that,
as was narrated by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami in al-Fataawa
al-Fiqhiyyah (1/52), and he said: “Among the leading
Qur’aan readers, al-Sakhaawi said that there is no dispute
that it is Sunnah to start with the Basmalah when one
starts reading partway through this soorah [al-Tawbah], as
he differentiated between starting at the beginning and
starting in the middle, but his explanation was facile and
was refuted by al-Ja’bari from among the Qur’aan readers.
This is more likely (i.e., the view that it is makrooh is
more likely to be correct), because the reason why the
Basmalah should not be recited at the beginning (of
al-Tawbah) is that it came with the sword (i.e., the
command to fight the kuffaar) and it exposes the hypocrites
and their foul deeds in a manner that is not unlike any
other soorah, and this theme is repeated throughout Soorat
al-Tawbah. Therefore it is not prescribed to recite the
Basmalah even if one starts reciting partway through this
soorah, just as it is not prescribed at the beginning, for
the reasons we have established.”

See al-Adaab al-Shar’iyyah by Ibn Muflih, 2/325;
al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 13/253; al-Fataawa al-Fiqhiyyah
al-Kubra, 1/52

Thirdly:

With regard to the meaning of the words, “Iqra’ bismi
Rabbika” (Read (or recite) in the name of your Lord –
[al-‘Alaq 96:1 – interpretation of the meaning]), Imam Ibn
Jareer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The
interpretation of the words ‘Iqra’ bismi Rabbika’ is that
they were addressed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), in other words, Read, O Muhammad, by
mentioning the name of your Lord (Who created).” And Allaah
knows best.

 Her husband doesn’t pray and she is withholding from
having intercourse with him

Question :
My husband doesn't pray 5 times a day and constantly, I
have encouraged him to do so with no avail. Since he hasn't
taken heed of my requests I have withheld myself from
engaging in intercourse with him. He exclaims that my
actions are inappropriate, saying that it is blasphemous
for me to use prayer as an incentive for intercourse. Is he
correct?

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

It should be known that the one who does not pray any of
the prayers and persists in not doing so, according to the
Sahaabah and the majority of scholars, is counted as a
kaafir and it is not permissible to marry him or eat meat
slaughtered by him. If the husband does not pray at all,
then he is taking a very serious risk and it is not
permissible for you to stay with him. You have to remind
him and scare him with this. Withholding yourself from
having intercourse with him is the right thing to do, until
he starts to pray, because the one who does not pray is
counted as a kaafir,as it was reported in Saheeh Muslim
from the hadeeth of Jaabir that the Prophet  (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“All that stands between a man and shirk and kufr is his
giving up prayer.” And he also said:

“The covenant that separates us from them is salaah, and
whoever gives up prayer is a kaafir.”

‘Abd-Allaah ibn Shaqeeq said: the companions of the Prophet
 (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used not to
count the giving up of any action as kufr, apart from
prayer.” You have to warn your husband against neglecting
the prayer. If he persists, it is not permissible for you
to stay with him because you are a Muslim and he is
something else. May Allaah help the Muslims to do what
Allaah has commanded and to obey Him. You have to advise
and scare him, and may Allaah bring about good for him
through that.

Repentance and Committing the Same Sin.
Q. When a person commits a sin and repents, declaring that
he would not go back to it again, he expects to be forgiven
by God. What would be his position if despite his
repentance, he commits the same sin again? Should this
happen several times, does it mean that his repentance is
not accepted by God? What if the sin in question is one of
the gravest type, such as adultery?

A. Several are the Qur’anic verses that speak of God’s
forgiveness being so very generous that it could include
all sins, no matter how grave they may be, provided that
the person concerned believes in God’s oneness and does not
associate partners with Him. This is summed up in the
Qur’anic verse that says: “For a certainty, God does not
forgive that partners should be associated with Him, but He
forgives any lesser sin to whomever He wills. He who
associates partners with God has indeed gone far astray.”
(4: 116)

What is needed to earn forgiveness is a genuine repentance,
which means that one really and genuinely regrets having
committed the sin in question, and a strong resolve not to
repeat it in future. If a person fulfils these two
conditions and earnestly prays to God for forgiveness, then
God will forgive him, if He so wills, provided that He
knows him to be honest in both his regret and his resolve.
Should he, nevertheless, yield to temptation and commit the
same sin again, he is back in the same position and needs
to repent. God will forgive him again when his repentance
is sincere and genuine.

This applies as many times as the same person yields to
temptation, and subsequently repents, provided that each
time, his repentance is sincere. God certainly knows our
intentions and our inmost thoughts. We cannot hide anything
from him. If He knows that a person who is saying to him,
‘I repent’, is not sincere, but harbors at the same time
thoughts that he would still commit the same sin again if a
chance arises, then God will not accept his verbal
repentance because it is neither sincere nor genuine. We
cannot deceive God. When we repent, we must make sure that
our resolve to refrain from sin is strong and genuine. If a
person fails in his resistance to temptation, despite his
earlier genuine resolve, the earlier sin remains forgiven,
and the new one may be forgiven when a new, sincere attempt
at repentance is made.

All this applies to all types of sin, minor or major,
provided always that we do not try to deceive God or
deceive ourselves.

Question :


what are a wife's rights on her husband according the Quran
and Sunnah? or what are a husbands duties to his wife and
viceversa?

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

Islam has enjoined upon the husband duties towards his
wife, and vice versa, and among these duties are some which
are shared by both husband and wife.

 We will mention – by the help of Allaah – some of the
texts of the Qur’aan and Sunnah which have to do with the
duties of the spouses towards one another, quoting also
from the commentaries and views of the scholars.

 Firstly:

 The rights of the wife which are hers alone:

 The wife has financial rights over her husband, which are
the mahr (dowry), spending and accommodation.

 And she has non-financial rights, such as fair division
between co-wives, being treated in a decent and reasonable
manner, and not being treated in a harmful way by her
husband.

 1.     Financial rights

 (a)   The mahr (dowry). This is the money to which the
wife is entitled from her husband when the marriage
contract is completed or when the marriage is consummated.
It is a right which the man is obliged to pay to the woman.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And give to the women (whom you marry) their Mahr
(obligatory bridal-money given by the husband to his wife
at the time of marriage) with a good heart” [al-Nisaa’ 4:4]


The prescription of the mahr demonstrates the seriousness
and importance of the marriage-contract, and is a token of
respect and honour to the woman.

The mahr is not a condition or essential part of the
marriage-contract, according to the majority of fuqahaa’;
rather it is one of the consequences of the contract. If
the marriage-contract is done without any mention of the
mahr, it is still valid, according to the consensus of the
majority, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

“There is no sin on you, if you divorce women while yet you
have not touched (had sexual relation with) them, nor
appointed unto them their Mahr (bridal-money given by the
husband to his wife at the time of marriage)” [al-Baqarah
2:236]

The fact that divorce is permitted before consummation of
the marriage or before stipulating the mahr indicates that
it is permissible not to stipulate the mahr in the
marriage-contract.

If the mahr is stipulated, it becomes obligatory upon the
husband; if it is not stipulated, then he must give the
mahr that is given to women of similar status to his wife.


(b) Spending. The scholars of Islam are agreed that it is
obligatory for husbands to spend on their wives, on the
condition that the wife make herself available to her
husband. If she refuses him or rebels, then she is not
entitled to that spending.

The reason why it is obligatory to spend on her is that the
woman is available only to her husband, because of the
marriage contract, and she is not allowed to leave the
marital home except with his permission. So he has to spend
on her and provide for her, and this is in return for her
making herself available to him.

What is meant by spending is providing what the wife needs
of food and accommodation. She has the right to these
things even if she is rich, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“but the father of the child shall bear the cost of the
mother’s food and clothing on a reasonable basis”
[al-Baqarah 2:233]

“Let the rich man spend according to his means; and the man
whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to
what Allaah has given him” [al-Talaaq 65:7]

 From the Sunnah:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said to Hind bint ‘Utbah – the wife of Abu Sufyaan – who
had complained that he did not spend on her: “Take what is
sufficient for you and your children, on a reasonable
basis.”

It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah said: “Hind bint ‘Utbah, the
wife of Abu Sufyaan, entered upon the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘O
Messenger of Allaah, Abu Sufyaan is a stingy man who does
not spend enough on me and my children, except for what I
take from his wealth without his knowledge. Is there any
sin on me for doing that?’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Take from his
wealth on a reasonable basis, only what is sufficient for
you and your children.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5049;
Muslim, 1714)

 It was narrated from Jaabir that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in his
Farewell Sermon:

“Fear Allah concerning women! Verily you have taken them on
the security of Allah, and intercourse with them has been
made lawful unto you by words of Allah. You too have rights
over them, and that they should not allow anyone to sit on
your bed [i.e., not let them into the house] whom you do
not like. But if they do that, you can chastise them but
not severely. Their rights upon you are that you should
provide them with food and clothing in a fitting manner”
(Narrated by Muslim, 1218)

 (c)  Accommodation. This is also one of the wife’s rights,
which means that her husband should prepare for her
accommodation according to his means and ability. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Lodge them (the divorced women) where you dwell, according
to your means” [al-Talaaq 65:6]

 2.Non-financial rights

 (i)Fair treatment of co-wives. One of the rights that a
wife has over her husband is that she and her co-wives
should be treated equally, if the husband has other wives,
with regard to nights spent with them, spending and
clothing.

(ii)Kind treatment. The husband must have a good attitude
towards his wife and be kind to her, and offer her
everything that may soften her heart towards him, because
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“and live with them honourably” [al-Nisaa’ 4:19]

“And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as
regards living expenses) similar (to those of their
husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to
what is reasonable” [al-Baqarah 2:228]

 From the Sunnah:

 It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Be kind to
women.’”(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3153; Muslim, 1468).

 There follow examples of the kind treatment of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) towards his
wives – for he is the best example:

 1. It was narrated from Zaynab bint Abi Salamah that Umm
Salamah said: “I got my menses when I was lying with the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) under a
single woollen sheet. I slipped away and put on the clothes
I usually wore for menstruation. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)  said to me,
‘Have you got your menses?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ Then he called
me and made me lie with him under the same sheet.”

She said: And she told me that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to kiss her when he
was fasting, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) and I used to do ghusl to cleanse ourselves
from janaabah from one vessel.(Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
316; Muslim, 296)

 2.  It was narrated that ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr said: “
‘Aa’ishah said: ‘By Allaah, I saw the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) standing at the
door of my apartment when the Abyssinians were playing with
their spears in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He covered me
with his cloak so that I could watch their games, then he
stood there for my sake until I was the one who had had
enough. So you should appreciate the fact that young girls
like to have fun.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 443; Muslim,
892)

 3.It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah the Mother of the
Believers (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) used to pray sitting down; he would recite Qur’aan
when he was sitting down, then when there were thirty or
forty aayahs left, he would stand up and recite them
standing up. Then he did rukoo’, then sujood; then he would
do likewise in the second rak’ah. When he had finished his
prayer, he would look, and if I was awake he would talk
with me, and if I was asleep he would lie down.

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1068)

(c)  Not harming one’s wife.

This is one of the basic principles of Islam. Because
harming others is haraam in the case of strangers, it is
even more so in the case of harming one’s wife.

 It was narrated from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) ruled, “There should be no harming nor reciprocating
harm.” (Narrated by Ibn Maajah,, 2340)

This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by Imaam Ahmad,
al-Haakim, Ibn al-Salaah and others. See Khalaasat al-Badr
al-Muneer, 2/438.

 Among the things to which the Lawgiver drew attention in
this matter is the prohibition of hitting or beating in a
severe manner.

 It was narrated from Jaabir that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in his
Farewell Sermon:

“Fear Allah concerning women! Verily you have taken them on
the security of Allah, and intercourse with them has been
made lawful unto you by words of Allah. You too have rights
over them, and that they should not allow anyone to sit on
your bed [i.e., not let them into the house] whom you do
not like. But if they do that, you can chastise them but
not severely. Their rights upon you are that you should
provide them with food and clothing in a fitting manner”
(Narrated by Muslim, 1218)

 Secondly:

 The husband’s rights over his wife.

 The rights of the husband over his wife are among the
greatest rights; indeed his rights over her are greater
than her rights over him, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as
regards living expenses) similar (to those of their
husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to
what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of
responsibility) over them [al-Baqarah 2:228]

 al-Jassaas said: Allaah tells us in this aayah that each
of the spouses has rights over the other, and that the
husband has one particular right over his wife which she
does not have over him.

 Ibn al-‘Arabi said: this text states that he has some
preference over her with regard to rights and duties of
marriage.

 These rights include:

 (a)The obligation of obedience. Allaah has made the man a
qawwaam (protector and maintainer) of the woman by
commanding, directing and taking care of her, just as
guardians take care of their charges, by virtue of the
physical and mental faculties that Allaah has given only to
men and the financial obligations that He has enjoined upon
them. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because
Allaah has made one of them to excel the other, and because
they spend (to support them) from their means” [al-Nisaa’
4:34]

 ‘Ali ibn Abi Talhah said, narrating from Ibn ‘Abbaas: “Men
are the protectors and maintainers of women” means, they
are in charge of them, i.e., she should obey him in matters
of obedience that Allaah has enjoined upon her, and obey
him by treating his family well and taking care of his
wealth. This was the view of Muqaatil, al-Saddi and
al-Dahhaak.(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/492)

 (b)Making herself available to her husband. One of the
rights that the husband has over his wife is that he should
be able to enjoy her (physically). If he marries a woman
and she is able to have intercourse, she is obliged to
submit herself to him according to the contract, if he asks
her. That is after he gives her the immediate mahr, and
gives her some time – two or three days, if she asks for
that – to sort herself out, because that is something that
she needs, and because that is not too long and is
customary.

If a wife refuses to respond to her husband’s request for
intercourse, she has done something haraam and has
committed a major sin, unless she has a valid shar’i excuse
such as menses, obligatory fasting, sickness, etc.

 It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘When a man calls
his wife to his bed and she refuses, and he went to sleep
angry with her, the angels will curse her until morning.’”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3065; Muslim, 1436)

 (c)Not admitting anyone whom the husband dislikes. One of
the rights that the husband has over his wife is that she
should not permit anyone whom he dislikes to enter his
house.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased
with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is not permitted for a
woman to fast(voluntary Fasting) when her husband is
present without his permission, or to admit anyone into his
house without his permission. And whatever she spends (in
charity) of his wealth without his consent, ….” (Narrated
by al-Bukhaari, 4899; Muslim, 1026)

It was narrated from Sulaymaan ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Ahwas: my
father told me that he was present at the Farewell
Pilgrimage (Hujjat al-Wadaa’) with the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He [the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)]
praised and glorified Allaah, then he preached a sermon and
said: “Treat women kindly, for they are prisoners and you
have no other power over them than that, if they are guilty
of open lewdness,then refuse to share their beds,and hit
them(symbolic gesture not physical,as the prophet mentioned
using a chewing stick or miswak)This clearly shows the
symbolic nature of the hitting.but not severly. But if they
return to obedience, (then) do not seek means (of
annoyance) against them. You have rights over your women
and your women have rights over you. Your rights over your
women are that they should not let anyone whom you dislike
sit on your bed and they should not let anyone whom you
dislike enter your house. Their rights over you are that
you should feed and clothe them well.”

(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1163 – he said this is a saheeh
hasan hadeeth. Also narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1851)

It was narrated that Jaabir said: [the Prophet] (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Fear Allah concerning women! Verily you have taken them on
the security of Allah, and intercourse with them has been
made lawful unto you by words of Allah. You too have rights
over them, and that they should not allow anyone to sit on
your bed [i.e., not let them into the house] whom you do
not like. But if they do that, you can chastise them but
not severely. Their rights upon you are that you should
provide them with food and clothing in a fitting manner”
(Narrated by Muslim, 1218)

 (d)Not going out of the house except with the husband’s
permission. One of the rights of the husband over his wife
is that she should not go out of the house except with his
permission.

The Shaafa’is and Hanbalis said: she does not have the
right to visit (even) her sick father except with the
permission of her husband, and he has the right to prevent
her from doing that… because obedience to the husband is
obligatory, and it is not permitted to neglect an
obligatory action for something that is not obligatory.

(e)Discipline. The husband has the right to discipline his
wife if she disobeys him in something good, not if she
disobeys him in something sinful, because Allaah has
enjoined disciplining women by forsaking them in bed,when
they do not obey.

The Hanafis mentioned four situations in which a husband is
permitted to discipline/rebuke his wife. These are: not
adorning herself when he wants her to; not responding when
he calls her to bed and she is taahirah (pure, i.e., not
menstruating); not praying; and going out of the house
without his permission.

The evidence that it is permissible to discipline one's
wife includes the aayahs (interpretation of the meaning):

“As to those women on whose part you see ill-conduct,
admonish them (first), (next) refuse to share their beds,
(and last)rebuke them (lightly, if it is useful)”
[al-Nisaa’ 4:34]

“O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families
against a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones”
[al-Tahreem 66:6]

 Ibn Katheer said:

Qutaadah said: you should command them to obey Allaah, and
forbid them to disobey Allaah; you should be in charge of
them in accordance with the command of Allaah, and instruct
them to follow the commands of Allaah, and help them to do
so. If you see any act of disobedience towards Allaah, then
stop them from doing it and rebuke them for that.

This was also the view of al-Dahhaak and Muqaatil: that the
duty of the Muslim is to teach his family, including his
relatives and his slaves, that which Allaah has enjoined
upon them and that which He has forbidden them. (Tafseer
Ibn Katheer, 4/392)

(f)The wife serving her husband. There is a great deal of
evidence (daleel) for this, some of which has been
mentioned above.

 Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

 She is obliged to serve her husband according to what is
reasonable among people of similar standing. That varies
according to circumstances: the way in which a Bedouin
woman serves (her husband) will not be like the way of a
town-dweller, and the way of a strong woman will not be
like the way of a weak woman. (al-Fataawa al-Kubraa, 4/561)


(g)Submitting herself to him. Once the conditions of the
marriage-contract have been fulfilled and it is valid, then
the woman is obliged to submit herself to her husband and
allow him to enjoy her (physically), because once the
contract is completed, he is allowed in return to enjoy
her, and the wife is entitled to the compensation which is
the mahr.

(h)The wife should treat her husband in a good manner,
because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as
regards living expenses) similar (to those of their
husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to
what is reasonable” [al-Baqarah 2:228]

 Al-Qurtubi said:

It was also narrated from him – i.e., Ibn ‘Abbaas – that
this means: they have the right to good companionship and
kind and reasonable treatment from their husbands just as
they are obliged to obey the commands of their husbands.

 And it was said that they have the right that their
husbands should not harm them, and their husbands have a
similar right over them. This was the view of al-Tabari.

Ibn Zayd said: You should fear Allaah concerning them just
as they should fear Allaah concerning you.

The meanings are similar, and the aayah includes all of
that in the rights and duties of marriage.(Tafseer
al-Qurtubi, 3/123-124)

And Allaah knows best.

DU'AA(SUPPLICATION):Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s closest
companion, said to him once: “Messenger of God! Teach me
something to say, morning and evening.’ The Prophet told
him to say: “My Lord, You know all that lies beyond the
reach of human perception and all that is witnessed. You
are the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Everything is
in Your hand.I bear witness that there is no deity other
than You.I seek Your shelter against the evil that is in my
soul and the evil of Satan and his tricks.” He then told
him to say this prayer morning and evening, and also when
he lies down to sleep. (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab
Al-Mufrad, Al-Nassaie, Abu Dawood, Al-Tirmidhi and others).
It is useful to mention the wording in Arabic so that
people may use the exact formula used by the Prophet:
“Allahumma ‘aalima al-ghayb wal-shahaadah, fatira
al-samaawaati wal-ardh, kullu shay’in bikaffik. Ashhadu an
la ilaha illa ant. A’oozu bika min sharri nafsi, wa min
sharri al-Shaytan wa sharakih.” Amin.













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