Many are the statements of the Qur’an and the Sunnah that prescribe kindness and equity, compassion and love, sympathy and consideration, patience and good will between the husband and wife. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) goes as far as to declare that the best Muslim is the one who is best to his family and that the greatest, most blessed joy in life is a good, righteous wife.
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a Senior Lecturer and Islamic Scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states the following: “Allah says in the Qur’an, “…They (women) have rights just as they have duties in fair measure…” (Al-Baqarah: 238). In Islam, men are ordered to deal with their wives on terms of fairness and decency. It is considered decency on his part to allow his wife to buy gifts for her family when she visits them once in a while, especially if he takes such gifts to his own family, if he can afford it.
A woman doesn’t need to seek permission of her husband to take from his wealth for such needs in fair measure. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan, that she may take from his wealth for her basic needs without waiting for his permission. Thus, she may do so without being wasteful.
Finally, it is his basic Islamic duty to come to the help of his in-laws when they are in difficulty, especially if he can afford to. For we owe such duties to all people, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), said, “Allah will ease the difficulty for whoever eases the difficulty of his brother.”