According to Islam, the husband is responsible to spend on his wife and to support her financially according to the best of his abilities. Such spending entails a great reward from Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “You will never spend anything seeking the face of Allah thereby, but you will be rewarded for it, even (the food) that you put in your wife’s mouth” (Al-Bukhari).

 Sheikh Muhammad Nur Abdullah, ISNA president and member of the Fiqh Council of North America, states the following: There are different levels and degrees of financial support. The Qur’anic verse tells us(Let the one who has means spend of the many means Allah has provided him, and he who suffers financial difficulties should spend of what Allah has provided him) (At-Talaq 65:7).

Therefore, the basic needs must be provided by the husband. This includes food, shelter, clothing, education, etc. The quality of these items depends on the financial situation of the husband. If there is a sort of negligence on part of the husband, then the wife should resort to mediation or legal authorities to get her rights.