What is the Responsibility of the Husband Upon Marriage?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I am in a society where the girl’s family pays for dowry, hospital bills during childbirth, etc. My question is from the Hanafi school, is it obligatory or the responsibility of the child’s father, i.e., the husband, to pay for the hospital bill or midwife when a baby is born, the weight of the baby’s hair is first shaven, the aqiqa cattle, and disposing of the placenta, etc.? What is the method of disposing of the hair and the navel’s part? Is there any Quranic verse or hadith to support this?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

The above is an unjust custom. It is the sole responsibility of the husband to give the marriage dowry (mahr) and all the other expenses that arise after marriage, from hospital bills, aqiqa sacrificial animal, etc.

Allah Most High says, “So marry them with their people’s permission, giving them their dowry in fairness…” [Quran, 4:25]

Husband Provides According to His Means

Allah Most High says, “Let the man of wealth provide according to his means. As for the one with limited resources, let him provide according to whatever Allah has given him. Allah does not require any soul beyond what He has given it. After hardship, Allah will bring about ease.” [Quran, 65:7]

Any Parts of Humans Should be Buried

The general ruling is that it is recommended to bury that which is separated from a human being because all of the Children of Adam have a sacredness, nobility, and honor, as decisively established in the Quran.

Allah Most High says, “Verily we have honored the Children of Adam.” [Quran, 17:70]

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.

Related 

• What Is the Minimum Stipulated Dowry (Mahr) in the Sacred Law? – SeekersGuidance
• How Much Should I Ask to Get for a Marriage Dowry (Mahr)? – SeekersGuidance
• What Are the Financial Responsibilities of a Man Regarding His Children From a First Marriage? – SeekersGuidance
• Should the Placenta Be Buried after Childbirth? – SeekersGuidance
• Rights of Children in Detail – SeekersGuidance

Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.