The Law of a Husband Not Providing for His Wife is a Sin: Check the Explanation and the Evidence

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YOGYAKARTA - In Islamic teachings, husbands are obliged to provide sustenance to their wives, both material and spiritual sustenance. So, what is the law if the husband does not provide sustenance to his wife? To find out the answer, see the explanation below.

In the fiqh of marriage, nafkah is everything that the husband spends to meet his wife's needs.

The obligation of the husband to provide for his wife is stated in the Quran, surah At-Thalaq verse 7:

Let the man of means spend out of his means, and he whose means are restricted, let him spend out of what Allah has given him. Allah does not burden a soul except what Allah has given it. Orang yang berkuasa, hendaklah ia berbelanja dari harta kekayaannya, dan orang yang tidak berkuasa, hendaklah ia berbelanja dari apa yang Allah berikan kepadanya. Allah tidak membebani seseorang melainkan sesuai dengan apa yang Allah berikan kepadanya.

"Let the one who is able to provide provide according to his ability. Let the one whose sustenance is tight give from the wealth that Allah has given him. Allah does not burden a person except what Allah has given him."

Husband's Law Does Not Provide Maintenance to Wife

Previously, it had been mentioned that Islam requires husbands to provide for their wives, both physically and mentally. The term material sustenance is sustenance in the form of costs for household management, clothing used, wife, residence and so on.

Referring to the Journal of Islamic Legal Studies of the Nahdlatul Ulama Islamic University (Unisnu), sustenance is interpreted as the obligation of a person arising from his actions who has responsibility, namely in the form of payment of a certain amount of cost to meet the needs of people who are under his responsibility.

Generally, the obligation to provide maintenance will be imposed on the husband, because he is the head of the household. This is emphasized in the Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqarah verse 233. Allah SWT says:

And for the offspring, their sustenance and their vestments, according to the ordinance, and no soul shall be charged except according to its capacity.

"And the obligation of the father (husband) to feed and clothe the mothers (wives) in a ma'ruf manner. A person is not burdened but according to his ability."

In a hadith narrated by Imam Muslim, the Prophet said:

"And they (the wives) have the right to be given sustenance and clothing (nafkah) which is obligatory upon you all (O husbands).

The two arguments above explicitly state that it is obligatory for a husband to provide for his wife.

Even though the wife has a decent job and a large salary, the husband must still provide material and spiritual sustenance for his wife.

Thus, the law that the husband does not provide for his wife is sinful. Because, sustenance is the obligation of a husband as the head of the household.

What if the husband is in a difficult condition, is the obligation to provide sustenance canceled? In this situation, the husband is still obliged to provide a minimum sustenance that can meet the food and clothing and housing of the wife with the minimum standard of the poor in the area, quoted from the NU Online page.

Another solution, the wife can use her own money first to meet household needs, or borrow from relatives and acquaintances. Then the dependents in syara' can be distributed to the husband as the head of the family.

Regarding the wife's property used for household needs, it will be a debt for the husband. However, if the wife is willing and willing to use the property for household needs, then the husband's obligation to replace it is lost.

It should be understood, this condition only applies to husbands who have tried to earn a living for their families, so there is no element of wanting to abandon their wives.

However, if a husband intentionally neglects or does not provide for his wife, he is guilty. This is based on the hadith of the prophet narrated by Sunan Abu Dawud and Ibnu Hibban. The Prophet said:

It is enough for a person to sin that he loses the one he loves.

"Enough is the sin for a person with him wasting the person he is responsible for."

In addition, in Shahih Muslim there is also a hadith stating that the husband's law of not giving his wife sustenance is sinful. The hadith reads

It is enough for a person to commit a sin that he has a power over.

"It is enough that a person is said to be guilty of those who withhold food (wages and so on) from those who are dependent on him."

This is information about the law that the husband does not provide for the wife. Hopefully this article can add to the reader's insight. Get updates on other featured news only at VOI.id.