🏡 Rights & responsibilities · #43
A husband spends much of his time on hobbies, friends or his phone. Does his wife have a right to his time?
Yes. Living with one's wife in kindness includes giving time and attention, not merely maintenance; the same applies the other way round.
The Prophet ﷺ corrected ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAmr r.a., who worshipped so much that he neglected his family, saying: your wife has a right over you (Sahih al-Bukhari 1975). If even voluntary worship may not take away a wife's right, hobbies and phones all the more need balancing. Allah commands husbands to live with their wives in kindness (an-Nisa' 4:19). Hobbies are not wrong; the problem is when the wife and children get only the leftover time and energy. Agree on a schedule: phone-free evenings, one weekend day for the family, and hobbies at agreed times. A wife absorbed in social media is bound by the same principle. See Digital life & the family.
The Prophet ﷺ corrected ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAmr r.a., who worshipped so much that he neglected his family, saying: your wife has a right over you (Sahih al-Bukhari 1975). If even voluntary worship may not take away a wife's right, hobbies and phones all the more need balancing. Allah commands husbands to live with their wives in kindness (an-Nisa' 4:19). Hobbies are not wrong; the problem is when the wife and children get only the leftover time and energy. Agree on a schedule: phone-free evenings, one weekend day for the family, and hobbies at agreed times. A wife absorbed in social media is bound by the same principle. See Digital life & the family.
Sources
Sahih al-Bukhari 1975Surah an-Nisa' 4:19Sahih al-Bukhari 5199