This degree may be likened to what sociologists call “instrumental leadership” or external authority in the household due to the division of labor and role differentiation. It does not, however, mean any categorical discrimination or superiority of one sex to the other. (This degree question has been misunderstood by Muslims and non – Muslims alike. We dealt with the whole matter in great detail in The Family Structure in Islam. Our conclusion is that the verse does not say men are better or worse than women. Nor does it say what excellence really refers to, let alone identify it with manhood or womanhood.).

The Wife’s Rights: The Husband’s Obligations

Translated into rules of behavior, these ethical principles allocate to the wife certain rights and corresponding obligations. Because the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet have commanded kindness to women, it is the husband’s duty to consort with his wife in an equitable and kind manner. One specific consequence of this Divine command is his responsibility for the full maintenance of the wife, a duty which he must discharge cheerfully, without reproach, injury, or condescendence.

Components of Maintenance

Maintenance entails the wife’s incontestable right to lodging, clothing, nourishing, and general care and well-being. The wife’s residence must be adequate so as to provide her with the reasonable level of privacy, comfort, and independence.

Foremost is the welfare of the wife and the stability of the marriage. What is true of the residence is true of clothing, food and general care. The wife has the right to be clothed, fed and cared for by the husband, in accordance with his means and her style of life. These rights are to be exercised without extravagance or miserliness.

Non-Material Rights

The wife’s material rights are not her only assurances and securities. She has other rights of a moral nature; and they are equally binding and specific. A husband is commanded by the law of God to treat his wife with equity, to respect her feelings, and to show her kindness and consideration. She is not to be shown any aversion by the husband or subjected to suspense and uncertainty. A corollary of this rule is that no man is allowed to keep his wife with intention of inflicting harm on her or hindering her freedom. If he has no love or sympathy for her, she has the right to demand freedom from marital bond, and no one may stand in her way to a new life.