Allah, the Exalted, says in the Glorious Qur’an: Among His signs is that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find tranquility in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy.

One of the great signs of the Benevolence, Mercy and Power of Allah, the Exalted, is that He created for mankind mates, one from the other, so that they are comforted, satisfied and assisted by one another.

The Prophet  emphasized the importance of the marriage bond when he said in a verified tradition: Whoever marries has completed half of his religion so let him fear Allah in the remaining portion..

The basic foundation of the society is the family, and the husband and the wife are co-partners in that family upon which a Muslim home is established. For the success of the family and the tranquility of the home, Islam grants each spouse certain rights and duties. We will only focus on the rights of the wives in the following section.

Dowry: A dowry is the right of every bride at the time of marriage. A marriage contract is not considered legal and complete unless and until a dowry has been specified.

This right cannot be forfeited, even if the bride approves, until after the marriage contract is completed. The dowry belongs to the woman entering marriage, and she has the freedom to do whatever she wants with what she owns after the marriage contract is fulfilled. Allah, the Exalted, states in the Glorious Qur’an:

Give the women whom you marry their dowry with a good heart. If they remit any part of it to you, of their own good pleasure, take it and enjoy it fully without fear of any harm.[:]

The husband is not allowed to take anything back from the dowry if he decides later to divorce her; as Allah, the Exalted, states in the Glorious Qur’an:

If you intend to replace a wife by another and you have given one of them a huge sum of gold as dowry, take not the least of it back; would you take it wrongfully without a right and with a manifest sin.And how can you take it back while you have entered with intimate relationship unto each other, and they (the wives) have taken from you a firm and strong covenant?

This verse indicates, significantly, the sacredness of the marriage vows and the intimacy of the marriage relationship, as well as the right of retaining the dowry gift in case of divorce. Allah, the Exalted, also states in the Glorious Qur’an:

O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will, and you should not treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the dowry you have given them, unless they commit open illegal sexual intercourse. Live with them honorably; if you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and Allah brings through it a great deal of good.

This verse ensures the wife’s rights and complete justice even if the man dislikes her for any reason. This is also mentioned in an authentic prophetic tradition wherein Abu Hurairah  reported that the Messenger of Allah said:

A believer must not hate a believing woman (i.e. his wife): if he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will be pleased with another.. [Bukhari]

Financial Support: The husband must give honorable and sufficient sustenance to his household according to his status and means. Allah, the Exalted, says: 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. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him. Allah will grant after hardship ease.[:] If a sufficiently rich man refuses to spend on his family in accordance with his level of means, and the wife was able to take a portion of his wealth. she may take that which satisfies her essential needs and that of her children, avoiding wastage and extravagance. Hind bint ’Utbah came to the Prophet  complaining about her husband, Abu Sufyan, saying:

My husband is a miser and does not spend enough on me and his children..

He replied: .Take whatever suffices you and your child within proper bounds.. [Bukhari]

If a husband came under heavy financial strain and was incapable of fulfilling his family’s financial needs, or if he left his wife for an extensive period of time, whereby the wife was harmed due to that absence, the wife is entitled to seek court intervention, if she desires to annul that marriage, as indicated by the verdicts of the jurists in Islamic jurisprudence.

The Prophet of Allah  explained these rights when he said:

Fear Allah in (the affairs of) women for you have taken them by the oath of Allah, and made their intimate relations legal by the sacred word of Allah: your right is that no one you dislike should (be allowed to enter) sit on your bed (or cushions), and if this happens then you may hit them lightly, and their right is that you feed and clothe them within proper bounds.. [Muslim & Abu Da‘wood]

The Prophet  said to his companion Sa.ad ibn Abi Waqas :

No amount you spend on your family seeking reward from Allah but that He will reward you even if it is a bite of food that you put in your wife.s mouth.. [Bukhari]

Justice, Equality and Fairness: Men who are married to more than one wife are required to act with justice, fairness and equality in dealing with them. This includes provision, clothing, housing and sharing his time, concerns and intimate relations. Allah, the Beneficent, says:

And if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphan-girls, then marry (other) women of your choice, two or three or four, but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one or (the captives and the slaves) that your right hands possess. That is better to prevent you from doing injustice.[:]

The Prophet of Allah  said:

He who has two wives and leans to one as opposed to the other will come on the Day of Resurrection with one of his sides fallen..

This indicates that the husband must demonstrate justice, fairness and equality amongst all his wives. He is warned of this dire punishment of paralysis and deformity in the hereafter, just as he paralyzed and deformed the rights of one of his wives in this world.

It is unlawful for a man to mistreat his wife in any fashion with abuse, hardships, harassment, undue burdens, insults, beatings, abuse to her wealth and funds, forbidding her from lawful outings, etc in an attempt to force her to pay all that she possesses as ransom to her husband so that he may release her through divorce.

Islamic laws do permit the husband to impose certain restrictions upon the wife who displays some immoral and shameful conduct, dishonorable to him and his family, and harmful to the entire society and social order.

The purpose of these restrictions is to seek her to return to proper behavior. Those who continue to act indiscreetly, leading to suspicion of actual infidelity may be offered divorce, just as she may seek .Khul.a. wherein she asks for dissolving the marriage contract due to his misbehavior.

Protection and Preservation: A husband must protect and prevent his wife and children from any possible harm or immorality to the best of his abilities. Allah, the Exalted, says:

O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not the Commands they receive from Allah, and do what they are commanded.

All that protects from unlawful and shameful deeds is commendable, but extremism is not. He  also said: There is a kind of jealousy that Allah loves and a kind which He hates: the kind that he loves is in the doubtful acts, and the kind he hates is in the acts without any doubt.. [Ahmad, Abu Da‘wood & Nisa‘e] Certain types of jealousy are acceptable and commendable, and others are not, as the Prophet of Allah explained above, and in a verified tradition he said: .Verily Allah gets jealous and the believer gets jealous and the jealousy of Allah is to see a believer doing unlawful acts.. [Bukhari, Muslim & others]