A successful marriage is based on understanding and mutual love where each partner, husband & wife, know their duties and fulfill them according to Islam.
These duties are not meant to be a list which each husband & wife need to follow rather what matters is the intention and struggle to treat your spouse in the best possible way.
Firstly we will write about the rights of wife, these are the duties which husband need to pay attention:
1) Financial Rights of Wife:
According to Shariah the wife is entitled to receive financial benefits from the husband. It means proper housing, clothing, travelling and health care.
Even if the wife is a working woman the obligation is still on the husband. To make a marriage successful the husband should spent more on the wife to please her while the wife should try to save & protect the wealth of the husband and not over burden him.
Let the rich man spend according to his means; and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him” [al-Talaaq 65:7]
2) Kind Treatment:
Islam teaches husband to be kind with his wife, it is not a relation where one rules and the other is ruled rather it’s a relation which need a strong bond to carry on.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: ‘Be kind to women.’ (Bukhari, 3153)
3) Entertainment:
It is a misunderstanding among many Muslims that the women has no right to entertainment but the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH ) teaches us how we should provide women the means of entertainment. It is narrated by Aisha (ra):
By Allah, I saw the Messenger (PBUH) standing at the door of my apartment when the Abyssinians were playing with their spears in the Mosque of the Messenger (PBUH). 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.’” (Bukhari, 443)
Also Read: Imam Hanbal’s 10 Advice For Successful Marriage
Similarly there are certain rights of husband which a wife needs to fulfill are:
1) Obedience:
Islam is a complete way of life which defines roles for each segment of life, as a mother son need to obey her mother, but as a husband wife needs to obey him.
2) Taking Care of Husband:
Just as a husband is responsible to be kind to his wife & spend on her similarly a wife is responsible to take care of her husband physically and physiologically.
3) Beautifying herself for husband:
It is an obligation on husband and wife both to groom themselves for their spouse. A woman should beatify herself for her husband and to please her.
[junkie-alert style=”green”] But we all know that there are times when one partner needs to act more maturely then other by leaving his rights and doing more. [/junkie-alert]
When a husband is going through financial crisis, office workload or is just annoyed the wife should abandon her financial needs & should be more humble to her husband.
Similarly when women is ill, pregnant or angry the husband should do the cooking, take care of his wife and spend more on her to please her.