Participating in furnishing the matrimonial home is a matter of custom

22-1-2014 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is the wife-to-be required to provide half or slightly more than half the furniture of the matrimonial home?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Furnishing the matrimonial home is a matter of custom, and custom varies for different societies and countries. The basic rule, however, is that the husband equips the matrimonial home with the usual necessities. If the spouses agree that each of them should provide half, or whatsoever, of the furniture, then it is allowable. In this case, both of them must fulfill the agreed-upon terms. Also, if the husband stipulates that the wife should furnish the home and she agrees to the condition, then she is required to do so, because Muslims are bound by their conditions. The same logic applies if this is a common custom or if the husband pays the wife more than her due dowry in return for furnishing the home.

Allaah Knows best.