Does a woman have to obey every halal order of her husband?

- According to many hadiths and the opinion of scholars, a woman has to obey every halal order of her husband. For example, if the husband asks her to do the laundry or one of the household chores, does she have to do it?
- The order above is neither haram nor beyond the capacity of a healthy woman.
- Imam Ahmad says, “The wife has obey every halal order of her husband.”
- Imam Muhammad Haskafi says, “Her husband’s right is that she obeys him in every halal order.”
- Al-Qasimi says, “The wife has to obey her husband’s every request that does not involve a sin.”
- Can you give a detailed explanation regarding the issue?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Allah has created men and women equal in terms various rights and duties. However, there is a division of duties between them in accordance with their creation and nature.

For the order and continuity of married life, both men and women have to fulfill their natural and inherent responsibilities.

In this context, the man should undertake the responsibility of working, earning and providing for the family while the woman should undertake the responsibility of organizing the household, raising the children, facilitating comfortable life at home, and ensuring peace at home.

There is unanimous agreement that it is permissible and halal for a woman to serve her husband and do household chores.(1)

However, there is disagreement about the decree on those services. When the sources of Islamic Law are examined, we see that there are 3 views regarding the issue.

1. The opinion of the majority of the scholars

According to the Shafi’i and Hanbali madhhabs and Imam Malik and some Maliki mujtahids, it is not wajib for a woman to serve her husband, such as baking bread, cooking, doing household chores, etc., but it is mandub, that is, if she does them, she will receive the thawab and contribute to the peace and happiness of the family, but if she does not do them, she will not be sinful.(2)

Accordingly, it is up to the woman to serve her husband and do other household services or not. She cannot be forced to do so. She has no obligation to serve.

According to those who support this view, the marriage contract requires only the utilization of the wife’s femininity. The woman cannot be forced to do any other work. However, the religion allows a woman to do household chores and to serve her family. This kind of service is regarded as good morals.

Imam Nawawi mentions that Aisha (ra) washed the head of the Prophet (pbuh) and that Asma bint Abi Bakr (ra) served her husband Zubayr b. al-Awwam (ra) and states the following:

All those are acts of kindness that people agree upon. In this context, women serve their husbands both related to those acts and similar acts such as baking bread, cooking, washing clothes, etc. All of those deeds are acts of kindness from the wife to her husband. It is also an act of getting along well and leading a good life together. It is not wajib for women to do those things. If they avoid doing those things, they are not regarded to have committed sins. Women cannot be forced to do these things. These services performed by women are regarded as charity and good morals.

All those are good customs established by the sunnah, the practice of the salaf and the consensus of the ummah. Women have continued these customs from the earliest times until today.

Some of the scholars of the last period hold the view that the service of women is mustahab, acting upon the view that those deeds of Asma (ra) were not wajib for her but that they were nafilah and stemmed from her good morals. According to them, the work/services performed by Fatima (ra) and Asma (ra) were not out of obligation but out of willingness.

2. The view of Maliki scholars and some other scholars

According to the majority of Malikis and scholars such as Abu Thawr, Abu Bakr b. Shayba and Abu Ishaq al-Juzjani, it is legally wajib for a woman to serve her husband and perform other household services.

The Prophet (pbuh) decreed that his daughter Fatima do the domestic work and his son-in-law Ali do the outside work.(3)

The woman has to perform such duties. It is the husband’s right. Contracts that are performed in general terms are interpreted according to custom. The custom is that the woman should serve and take care of the household.

According to Malikis, if the husband cannot afford to hire a maid, the wife has to do the housework herself even if she is rich. However, if the husband is wealthy, he has to hire a maid for his wife who is unable to serve herself or who is a woman of noble birth, or a woman of high status, whose service would be considered odd. A person in this situation is considered a woman for whom a maid can be hired.

In short, according to Malikis, it is not wajib for a woman to serve her husband if she is a noble woman. 

However, a woman whose husband is poor has to serve.(4)

3. The view of Hanafis

According to Hanafi madhhab, it is religiously wajib for a woman to serve her husband and do household chores. If she does not do them, she cannot be forced by the judge. However, she is held responsible in the sight of Allah.

The Prophet (pbuh) made a division of work between his daughter Fatima (ra) and his son-in-law Ali (ra) regarding the work to be done, giving the responsibility for the work to be done outside the house to his son-in-law and the responsibility for the work to be done inside the house to his daughter.(5)

Hanafis have concluded based on this narration and other evidence from those who hold the view that women’s domestic service is wajib for women that these services are religiously wajib for women.

According to Qasani, a Hanafi scholar, if the man brings home food such as vegetables, etc. and the woman avoids cooking them, she cannot be legally forced to do so. The man is asked to provide ready-made food. According to Abul-Lays, if a woman herself cannot serve because she is the daughter of a noble person, or if she is not a noble person but illness, etc., prevents her from cooking, she cannot be forced to do so. However, if she is a woman that can cook, she can be forced.(6)

Another view that a woman is not legally obliged to do them can be summarized as follows:

If a woman does not want to serve her husband or do household chores, she cannot legally be forced by a judge. What the husband should do is to provide her with ready-made food or to prepare food that is enough for her.(7)

However, according to Hanafi madhhab, the woman is religiously obliged to do the household chores. The fatwa is based on this view.

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani interprets the similar deeds of Asma (ra) and other women as follows:

Since Asma’s husband, Zubayr, and other Muslims were doing the work ordered by the Messenger of Allah, such as jihad, etc., and did not have the free time and financial means to do other household chores that they should have done as their own duties, women had to do work that they were not obliged to do. The incomes of cities should be taken into account when making choices in this regard. Cities have different incomes. Therefore, women’s service may also differ.

Thus, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani holds the view that it is wajib for a woman to perform all the services that her husband needs according to the customs and traditions.(8)

In short, according to Hanafis, it is wajib for a woman to do household chores religiously though not legally. If a woman does not do household chores, she will be held responsible in the sight of Allah.

In conclusion, it is possible to state the following:

Allah Almighty says,

“It is He (Allah) Who created you from a single person, and made his mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her (in love) …”(10)

It is as if Allah Almighty has bestowed on us our spouses as a combination of finding peace in them, benefiting from them and, according to custom, enjoying some of their services.

Allah has created men and women equal in terms various rights and duties. However, there is a division of duties between them in accordance with their creation and nature.

Men have been assigned the task of working outside the home, which requires tiresome and difficult journeys, hardships and hard work.

On the other hand, women have been assigned the task of taking care of and upbringing children, maintaining order in the home, etc., which require emotionality, compassion and affection.

However, women’s domestic duties should not prevent their worship and self-education in issues involving religion and life because children receive their first education from their mothers.(12)

References:

1) Kitabul-Mawsu’atul-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaytiyya, (Harful-Ha, Hidhmatuz-Zawjati li Zawjiha wa Aksuhu, p. 44.
2) Shirazi, Muhadhdhab, IW, 264; Buhuti, Kashshaful-Qina, V, 195; Malik b. Anas, al-Mudawwanatul-Kubra, II, 268.
3) see Bukhari, Nafaqat, 6.
4) Dasuki, Hashiyatud-Dusuki, II, 510. Ibn Qudama, Mughni, WII, 21.
5) see Bukhari, Fadailu Ashabin-Nabi, 9; Nafaqat, 6; Kitabul-Khumus, 6.
6) Qasani, Badayi, IW, 24.
7) Komisyon, Fatawal-Hindiyya, I, 548.
8) Asqalani, Fathul-Bari, IX, 405.
9) Komisyon, Fatawal-Hindiyya, I, 548.
10) al-Araf, 7/189.
11) For detailed information, see Halil İbrahim Acar, Kadının Kocasına Hizmet Etme ve Ev İşlerini Yapma Zorunluluğu Hakkında… International Periodical for the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic Volume 12/27, pp. 39-50
http://dx.doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.12323

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