Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah, the Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake alone.
In Islam, it is the husband’s responsibility to provide maintenance and support for his wife. Allah says: “Men are protectors of women, because of what (strength) Allah has given the one more than the other, and because of what they spend of their property (to maintain them)” (An-Nisaa’: 34). The responsibility for maintenance includes food, shelter, clothes, and other legitimate expenses such as medical and other things.
It is not allowed for a woman to take money from her husband without his permission. However, if her husband is miserly and does not give her and her children sufficient funds for their maintenance, according to what is customary, then she has the right to take that amount of maintenance from his money for her and her children. She may not take more than that.
The Saudi House of Fatwa, issued the following fatwa:
“It is not permissible for a woman to take anything from her husband’s money without his permission, unless he is falling short in his spending on her, in which case it is permissible for her to take what is sufficient for her and her children on a reasonable basis, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Hind bint `Utbah when she complained to him that her husband Abu Sufyan was falling short in his spending on her and on her children: “Take what is sufficient for you and your children on a reasonable basis.” There is no expiation required for that if the situation is as we have described. But if she takes when there is no shortcoming on his part, then she has to return what she took, even if she does it without his knowledge if she is afraid that telling him will make him angry with her.”
Excerpted with modifications from: www.islam-qa.com
You can also read:
Husband and Wife: Mutual Rights and Obligations
Does the Husband Have a Say on His Wife's Property?
Can I Give Zakah to My Husband?
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