Financial Maintenance in Polygyny

Question: As-salāmu ʿalaykum. I would like your Islamic guidance regarding nafaqah in polygyny. I am a second wife. My husband sends me a fixed monthly amount intended to cover my household expenses (rent, bills, groceries, transport, and basic needs). He says that by giving this amount, he has fulfilled his responsibility, and that any remaining money from it is still his money. He also believes that if we go out together or if food is ordered, this should be paid from that same amount rather than by him directly. My question is: 1) Once nafaqah is given, does it become the wife’s property? 2) Is it Islamically correct for a husband to claim ownership over what remains? 3) Is the wife required to use her nafaqah to pay for the husband’s food or outings? I would appreciate clarification based on Qur’an, Sunnah, and scholarly consensus. Jazakum Allahu khayran for your guidance. Shaykh Faysal Al-Hashidi ḥafidhahullāh: May Allāh reward you with goodness for the quality of your question and for seeking the Islamic ruling. Issues of financial maintenance (nafaqah) in polygyny are among the most delicate matters of justice, and confusion often occurs in them. I will answer you with a concise, well-structured response, supported by evidence from the Qur'ān, the Sunnah, and the statements of the scholars: 🔹First: Does maintenance become the wife’s property once it is given to her? Yes. Once the wife receives her maintenance, it becomes her complete and exclusive property. Evidence: Allāh the Exalted says: "And upon the father is their provision and clothing according to what is customary." [Al-Baqarah: 233] And the Prophet ﷺ said: “And they (your wives) have a right upon you to their provision and clothing, according to what is customary.” [Muslim] The jurists said: When maintenance is given to the wife, it becomes her property, and she may dispose of it as she wishes, within what is customary. [An-Nawawi, Ibn Qudāmah, Ibn ʿĀbideen] Therefore, the husband has no right to control it after giving it, unless there was a clear prior agreement. 🔹Second: Is it Islamically valid for the husband to claim ownership of what remains from the maintenance? No, it is not valid Islamically. Maintenance is not: a loan, nor a trust, nor shared property, Rather, it is a pure financial obligation owed exclusively to the wife. Ibn Qudāmah rahimahullāh said: "If the husband gives maintenance to his wife and she saves some of it, then it belongs to her, and he has no right to take it back." What remains of the maintenance: is the exclusive right of the wife, the husband may not say: “This is still my money,” nor may he reclaim it, nor hold her accountable for it. 🔹Third: Is the wife obligated to use her maintenance to feed the husband or pay when going out with him? The answer: No, she is not obligated Islamically. Because: The husband is the one obligated to provide, not the wife. Maintenance was legislated for: the wife’s housing, her food, her clothing, and her personal needs. The scholars stated: The wife’s maintenance is obligatory upon the husband, even if the wife is wealthy. Accordingly: The husband’s food: is the husband’s own responsibility. Going out with the husband (restaurant, outing, transportation): If it is at the husband’s request → he bears the expense. If the wife willingly pays from her own money → this is kindness and charity, not an obligation. Important Note Regarding Polygyny In the case of polygyny, justice in maintenance is obligatory—not merely numerical equality, but: ◽ justice in sufficiency, ◽️ justice in what is customary, ◽️ according to the circumstances, residence, and needs of each wife. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Fear Allāh concerning women.” And he ﷺ also said: “Whoever has two wives and inclines toward one of them will come on the Day of Resurrection with one side of his body leaning.” [Narrated by Abū Dāwūd] And Allāh knows best. Source: https://t.me/EngFatawaboxes_9_9_9_Bot