Is a woman’s service in the home obligatory or recommended?

Abu Ishaq: Well, Shaykh, regarding a woman’s service in the home, is it obligatory or recommended?

The Shaykh : , Therefore, it is obligatory for the woman to serve her husband in exchange for his fulfillment of the obligations that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has imposed on him, such as financial maintenance, housing, and the like. It is not permissible to say that the man’s only right over her is to enjoy her, because this is a matter shared between the two spouses. Just as he enjoys her, she enjoys him. Thus, the two are equal, standing on equal footing. In exchange for the financial maintenance the man provides, it is obligatory for the woman to serve him. There is no doubt that this service is within the limits of her capacity and ability, and As for the matter reaching the point where it is said—and it has actually been said, unfortunately—that she is not obligated to offer him a cup of water
One of the attendees: Allahu Akbar! What kind of wife is that!
Everyone laughs.

The Shaykh : Or to prepare his bed. And who knows who will prepare his bed? Subhan Allah, this verse is very clear, because the man has a right over the woman other than the right of enjoyment. Therefore, we find in the conduct of the Companions with women, and the conduct of women with their men, that they used to serve their husbands, even by carrying dates on their heads. And it is not only this; for it is reported in Sahih al-Bukhari: to the end of the hadith. If it were not obligatory for her, and she is the daughter of the Master of Mankind (peace and blessings be upon him), to serve her husband, she would have returned to her husband to say to him (peace and blessings be upon him): “That is enough. Do not burden your wife with serving you.” And the marks of the work were on her hands. But she bore it because he is the one upon whom that noble verse was revealed: . Thus, the verse, along with the practical Sunnah of the Companions with their wives, and the wives with their husbands, all of this indicates that it is obligatory for the woman to serve her husband, within the limits of ability that we mentioned. Yes.
Abu Ishaq: But some people, our Shaykh, say that the silence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)—does that fall under the claim of obligation? Meaning, he remained silent?

The Shaykh : We did not say that this is the only proof. We say that practical life is an explanation of the previous verse. Action alone, of course, is not evidence for obligation. But if it comes as an explanation of a text in the Qur’an or in the Sunnah, then it indicates obligation.
Abu Ishaq: Well, some people say that if a woman was served in her father’s house by a servant, her husband must provide her with a servant, even if he is poor. Is this correct?

The Shaykh : We say: “Bring your proof if you are truthful.” This is, of course, not correct, because any claim that is made without evidence from the Book of Allah or from the hadith of the Messenger of Allah is, of course, baseless and has no standing. How so? The previous explanation is sufficient to show that it is not obligatory for the man to bring a servant to his wife. Nevertheless, we say that bringing a servant into the wife’s home, whether male or female, exposes one of the spouses to fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). Because if the servant is a woman, the fitnah may occur for the man, and if the servant is a man, the fitnah may occur for the woman. Therefore, among the losses the Islamic world suffers due to its abandonment of jihad first, and then due to the drift of many Muslim scholars toward adopting the prohibition of slavery second, is that they have lost a solution to the problem of a wife who may need someone to serve her. So, when the husband is in a truly Islamic society, where the banner of jihad in the path of Allah is raised and the call is carried from the abode of Islam to the abode of disbelief, there will be captives among the Muslims, both men and women, and many of them will become slaves to the Muslims. In this case, the man can bring a female slave into his home who is lawful for him on one hand, and who serves his wife on the other hand. Yes.

The questioner : Some jurists in this issue said: If the woman requests to breastfeed her child from her husband, it is obligatory for him to give it to her. What is their evidence?

The Shaykh : This, as mentioned before, has no evidence. Rather, this stems from the murky source that contradicts the previous verse and the guidance of the righteous Salaf. Some of them even said—and I will add to this, and perhaps I will not present you with knowledge, and if I do present you with knowledge, I will not present you with beneficial knowledge—everyone laughs—because some of them said it is obligatory for the man to buy tobacco for the woman who smokes.
Everyone laughs.

The questioner : A while ago, a problem occurred, and unfortunately, the one who adopted it was a colleague and a Shaykh. His wife fell ill, and he discussed with me that if a wife falls ill, it is not his responsibility to treat her, citing the statement of the jurists. So I said, “Give me the evidence.” If the wife falls ill, it is your responsibility to treat her, and if she gives birth, it is her responsibility to breastfeed. Meaning, the two spouses are equal and mutually supportive in life.

The Shaykh : Yes, that is it. Perfect. The two spouses are, without doubt, cooperating, and each has a right over the other. Yes.