Is Spending on One’s Wife Considered Charity?
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question
Is buying an expensive gift for one’s wife, like a £2,000 or $2,000 handbag, considered sadaqah (charity) or israf (extravagance)? Does spending more on such gifts result in more rewards, or does it border on extravagance and waste?
Answer
I pray you are well.
Yes, anything the husband spends on his wife and children is given the reward of charity. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,
“When a man spends something on his family whilst expecting a reward, it is an act of charity for him.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
Another narration from him (Allah bless him and give him peace) tells us,
“You won’t spend anything seeking to only please Allah, except that you’ll be rewarded for it. Even (the morsel) you put in your wife’s mouth.” [Ibid.]
Therefore, whatever you spend on your wife is something you can expect to be rewarded for forever. Be sure of that.
Extravagance
The question of extravagance is something else entirely. Allah loves beauty in things, so go ahead and buy your wife something nice – which usually costs a bit more money than the run-of-the-mill items available – but don’t step into the realm of wastage.
I suppose getting something very expensive on a rare occasion could be fine with the right intention, but making it a recurring practice to buy extravagant things that do not have a function or a sound intention behind them would be wastage, and it’s not something the Believer gets accustomed to.
The ultimate decision is yours. Make it based on what you feel is most likely to please Allah in any given situation. That’s the best advice I can give you.
May Allah facilitate all matters for you.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.
