Does a Muslim Wife Have the Right to Separate Home Entry From her In-Laws?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

Living with my in-laws, I have a separate living area but my husband insists I use the main entrance through his parents’ area instead of our separate one. Does Islam permit me to have my entryway and exit?

Answer

I am unfamiliar with a wife having the right to a separate entryway from her in-laws. That being said, any matter in marriage should be discussed and lead to an understanding or compromise, as per the husband’s capacity to provide and their need for privacy. Good character, patience, and generosity are the keys to this understanding.

Rights

A wife’s rights regarding housing are explained in the Reliance of the Traveller:

Housing And Servants

m11.8 The wife is entitled to housing of the same quality as that of similar women. (O: The standard of housing depends on the wife herself, while the standard for her clothing and support considers the state of the husband. The difference is because the expenditures for her support and clothing become her own property and are not merely for her use, while housing is solely for use (N: meaning that while she can take compensation in price of food or clothing and buy some other kind, she cannot rent a different house). In any case, she is obliged to stay in the lodgings her husband arranges for her.)

Please see more details here:
A Wife’s Right to Housing Separate From Her In-Laws

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.