The Jurists' Disagreement on Treating the Wife
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The third question of Fatwa No. ( 3591 )
Q3: Is it obligatory for the husband to treat his wife if she falls ill and pay for her medical expenses, just as he is obligated to provide her maintenance and clothing? Is there any explicit text in the Muhammadan Shari'ah, a verse or an authentic hadith, regarding this?
A3: There is a disagreement among the jurists regarding his obligation to bear the costs of treating his wife if she falls ill. Some of them ruled that it is on the same level as her clothing and food, while others did not make it obligatory for him, and this is the correct view. Doing so is among the noble traits of character and the good conduct in marital relations. Ibn Qudamah said in (Al-Mughni): “It is not obligatory for him—the husband—to buy medicines or pay the doctor’s fee, because that is intended for the repair of the body, so it is not obligatory for him, just as it is not obligatory for the lessee to build what falls down in the house and preserve its foundations, and likewise the fee for the cupper and the blood-letter.”
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Q3: Is it obligatory for the husband to treat his wife if she falls ill and pay for her medical expenses, just as he is obligated to provide her maintenance and clothing? Is there any explicit text in the Muhammadan Shari'ah, a verse or an authentic hadith, regarding this?
A3: There is a disagreement among the jurists regarding his obligation to bear the costs of treating his wife if she falls ill. Some of them ruled that it is on the same level as her clothing and food, while others did not make it obligatory for him, and this is the correct view. Doing so is among the noble traits of character and the good conduct in marital relations. Ibn Qudamah said in (Al-Mughni): “It is not obligatory for him—the husband—to buy medicines or pay the doctor’s fee, because that is intended for the repair of the body, so it is not obligatory for him, just as it is not obligatory for the lessee to build what falls down in the house and preserve its foundations, and likewise the fee for the cupper and the blood-letter.”
And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.