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Woman may lose some of her rights by obeying her husband

Question

I have read a woman has to obey her husband in everything accept when he orders her to do something sinful. Is it obligatory for a woman to obey her husband even if the obedience to husband will mean forgoing some of her rights or can she disobey him and not forgo her rights?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

It is established in religion that the woman is obliged to obey her husband within what is permissible. However, it is not permissible for a husband to order his wife to do something which may lead her to lose some of her rights as in such a case she is not obliged to obey him.

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 85167 and 84565.

Finally, it should be noted that the marital life should be established on mutual understanding in a way that one spouse would not transgress the other, rather each one should fulfil the right of the other on him, and in this way affection and love would prevail between them.

Allaah Knows best.

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