How Should the Finances Be Managed If Both Spouses Are Earning?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

How should the finances be managed if both spouses are earning?

Answer

Islam does not stipulate any specific way of arranging the household finances except that the legal responsibility of caring for the family/house is on the father/husband. [Maydani, al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab]

Aside from that, a couple may do as they feel best on the condition that if any of the wife’s wealth is spent or used, it must be done with her consent.

Allah Most High says, “Give women their bridal gift upon marriage, though if they are happy to give up some of it for you, you may enjoy it with a clear conscience.”   [Quran, 4:4]

Notice the words “they are happy to”; if she is not fully content, no one can use/transact in her wealth.

Advice

Whatever the division of finances is agreed upon, the most important thing is clarity, mutual consultation, and consent.

Hope this helps

Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.