Must a Father Finance His Adult Son’s Second Marriage in Islam?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

Is a father obligated in any madhhab to financially support his adult son in marrying a second wife for desire, and must he provide maintenance for the second wife if the son cannot afford it?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

May Allah alleviate our difficulties and guide us to what pleases Him. Amin.

A father is not obligated in any School to financially support his adult son in marrying a second wife. Nor is he responsible for maintaining the son’s wife or wives, even if the son cannot do so.

“Let every soul spend according to his capacity…” [Quran, 65:7]

According to Sacred Law, a father’s financial responsibility (nafaqa) generally extends only to his minor or dependent children who cannot support themselves. Once a son reaches adulthood and can earn a living, he is expected to take financial responsibility for himself.

Regarding marriage, while it is encouraged and supported in Sacred Law, it remains the adult son’s personal responsibility, and if he cannot afford it, then marriage is possibly not a good idea for him. A father is not required to fund his son’s marriage, let alone a second marriage.

Furthermore, a wife’s financial maintenance (nafaqa) is solely the husband’s duty. If the son cannot afford to maintain a second wife, he should not proceed with the marriage, as fulfilling the wife’s rights is a binding obligation upon him. No School obliges the father to step in financially in such a case.

I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.