💰 Family finances · #38
Is a wife entitled to personal spending money besides the kitchen budget?
Maintenance covers the wife's personal needs according to custom and the husband's means; beyond that, giving her personal money she does not have to account for is an excellent practice.
Allah commands those with means to spend according to their means (at-Talaq 65:7), and the Prophet ﷺ said a wife's right is to be fed and clothed as her husband feeds and clothes himself (Sunan Abu Dawud 2142). Personal needs such as toiletries, women's items, clothing, a phone and transport fall within maintenance according to custom. The kitchen budget is for the whole household, not the wife's own money. A wife who must ask for every ringgit for personal items often feels humiliated; a fixed monthly allowance avoids that. Maintenance given with good intention is also charity that earns reward (Sahih al-Bukhari 56). See Maintenance guide.
Allah commands those with means to spend according to their means (at-Talaq 65:7), and the Prophet ﷺ said a wife's right is to be fed and clothed as her husband feeds and clothes himself (Sunan Abu Dawud 2142). Personal needs such as toiletries, women's items, clothing, a phone and transport fall within maintenance according to custom. The kitchen budget is for the whole household, not the wife's own money. A wife who must ask for every ringgit for personal items often feels humiliated; a fixed monthly allowance avoids that. Maintenance given with good intention is also charity that earns reward (Sahih al-Bukhari 56). See Maintenance guide.
Sources
Surah at-Talaq 65:7Sunan Abu Dawud 2142 (sahih)Sahih al-Bukhari 56