Nafkah — everything
Nafkah (maintenance) is not a gift, not a present, and not dependent on goodwill. It is an obligation that can be claimed in the Syariah Court, and it begins on the day of the akad.
At a glance
Material and intimate maintenance (nafkah zahir and nafkah batin)
- Food
- Clothing
- Accommodation
- Medical treatment
- Reasonable daily needs
- Right to marital intimacy
- Part of the justice required in polygyny
- Feelings are not required; actions are
If maintenance is not provided
Two types
Nafkah zahir (material maintenance)
Food, clothing, housing, medical treatment and reasonable daily needs according to the husband's means and local custom.
Nafkah batin (intimate rights)
The right to marital intimacy. It is also part of the justice required in polygyny.
Who is entitled
| Party | Position |
|---|---|
| Wife | Fully entitled for as long as the marriage subsists, and not forfeited because the wife works or has her own wealth. |
| Each wife in a polygynous marriage | Each is entitled separately. One wife's maintenance is not part of another's. |
| Children | Under the state enactments, usually up to 18 years (may be extended for studies); in fiqh terms, a daughter until she marries. |
| A wife in the ʿiddah of a revocable talaq (talaq raj'i) | Still entitled throughout the ʿiddah period. |
| Parents in need | The responsibility of children who are able. |
Turn-taking (giliran) — justice that can be measured
"It is from the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ that when a man marries a virgin while he already has a previously married wife, he should stay with the virgin for seven nights; and when he marries a previously married woman while he already has a virgin wife, he should stay with her for three nights."
Sahih al-Bukhari 5213 · Sahih Muslim, Kitab ar-Radha' — from Anas bin Malik
Seven nights if never married before · three nights if previously married
After that period, the turns return to equal among all wives. This is a sunnah provision for the start of a new household — not favouritism.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5213 · Sahih Muslim, Kitab ar-Radha'If maintenance is not provided
- Talk first — most cases stem from hardship, not refusal.
- Consult a sulh (mediation) officer at the Syariah Court. It is free, and many cases are resolved at this stage.
- File a maintenance claim at the Syariah Court. Bring evidence: receipts, bank statements, messages.
- A court order can be enforced, including through salary deduction.
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