🏡 Rights & responsibilities · #301

If the husband is the head, does that mean the wife is merely a follower with no leadership role?

A husband's leadership does not make his wife a mere follower; the two of them are helpers to each other towards good. Allah says of the believers: “protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil” (Surah at-Taubah 9:71). The wife leads in household matters and in what is entrusted to her, and advises her husband when he errs. Qawwam is a division of responsibility, not a ladder of human worth. Respect your wife's role as a partner who corrects and supports, not a silent subordinate. A marriage in which both uphold good for each other is closer to the ideal of Islam. See rights of husband and wife.

Sources

Surah at-Taubah 9:71

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This answer is general reference, not a fatwa. For your situation, consult the religious affairs office, a Syarie lawyer or your state Syariah Court.

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