Is it permissible for a wife to demand maintenance from her husband if she is wealthy, and is it permissible for the husband to take from his wife's salary if she is employed?

The questioner : This is a questioner complaining about his wife. He says: I have two wives, one of whom is a teacher who receives a salary and squanders it, being extravagant in its expenditure. She demands maintenance for herself, such as clothing, equal to that of the second wife who has no salary. Does she have the right to that, and is it permissible for me to take from her salary?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is permissible for the wife to demand that her husband provide for her, even if she is wealthy, even if she is employed, even if she has a salary, and even if she squanders her salary. However, the issue of squandering is something we will discuss, if Allah wills. She has the right to demand maintenance from him, even if he has no other wife, because providing for the wife is not a matter of meeting a need, but a matter of reciprocating a consideration with a consideration. Just as he enjoys her and takes pleasure in her, so it is obligatory for him to provide for her. As for taking something from her salary, that is not permissible, because the money is hers. She is free to do as she wishes. If, at the time of the contract, he did not stipulate that she should study, for example, and then she wanted to study and agreed with him that he would permit her to teach on the condition that she give him a share of her salary, then there is no harm in that.
We return to the issue of extravagance. We say that it is not permissible for any person to be extravagant in his expenditure, whether in food, drink, clothing, or anything else. And more severe and more dangerous than that is what some people do: borrowing for a luxury that is not obligatory. Do you know that some poor people borrow in order to put up decorations in the sitting room? We ask Allah for well-being. If the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not direct the man who found nothing to marry with to borrow, how can a person borrow for something that is not necessary, then bear a debt? When the debt comes due and he does not pay it, what does he do? He borrows a second time, and it is added to the first. When the second comes due and he does not pay it, he borrows a third time, and so on until the debts pile up upon you. Is this not a reality? Now, may Allah reward you. Rest. The matter of debt is great. Did you not know? Meaning, martyrdom in the cause of Allah does not expiate debt, and it is martyrdom in the cause of Allah.
He left the prayer over him. So beware, O young man, of being deceived and being lenient. There are now companies that say to the young man, "Come, buy a car." Yes, what car do you want? What do you want? You say, "A Caprice." Do you want a Cadillac? What do you want? You say, "A Shabab." Yes, of course, the young man... says, "I want a Shabab." How much is the Shabab?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : No, no, it is not a million. It is correct, for example, at one hundred thousand. Yes, let us say the Shabab that does not fly too high is one hundred thousand. We give you a Shabab for one hundred thousand. How will he pay it? He said: "Every month you give us two hundred and fifty." Easy, two hundred and fifty. The young man says, "Bring it." The poor man does not know that the two hundred and fifty will make him a slave to the one who gave him the car, a humble slave. Perhaps as the period increases, it decreases and he is harmed, and the car, as it is used, what happens? It depreciates. Therefore, I warn the young men not to be deceived by the honey mixed in the fat. Do not be deceived by this. The common people say, for example, "It is wonderful, good, excellent." He says: "Stretch your leg on what? Stretch your leg on what? On the size of your blanket." The person whose blanket is short stretches his leg. If he stretches his leg, it comes out of the blanket. If he curls up, the blanket covers him. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.