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6. Rights of a Wife
The Noble Qur-an states:

"And among His signs is that He created for you wives from among yourselves that you may live in tranquility with them, and He has put between you affection and mercy.  Verily, in that are indeed signs for people who reflect." (Qur-an 30:21)

Marriage is therefore not just a physical or emotional necessity, but in fact, a sign from God! 'It is a relationship of mutual rights and obligations based on divine guidance. God created men and women with complimentary natures, and in the Qur-an, He laid out a system of laws to support harmonious interaction between the sexes.

"...They are garments for your and you are garments for them." (Qur-an, 2:187)

Clothing provides physical protection and covers the beauty and faults of the body. Likewise, a spouse is viewed this way. Each protects the other and hides the faults and for compliments the characteristics of the spouse.

To foster the love and security that comes with marriage, Muslim wives have various rights. The first of the wife's rights is to receive Mehr, a gift from the husband that is part of the marriage contract and required for the legality of the marriage.

The second right of the wife is maintenance. Despite any wealth she may have, her husband is obligated to provide her with food, shelter and clothing. He is not forced, however, to spend beyond his capability and his wife is not entitled to make unreasonable demands. The Qur-an states:

"Let the man of means spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him on spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah in on puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him. Allah will grant after hardship, ease." (Qur-an, 65:7)

God tells us men are guardians over women and are afforded the leadership in the family. His responsibility for obeying God extends to guiding his family to obey God at all times.

A wife's rights also extend beyond material needs. She has the right to kind treatment. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said: "The most perfect believers are the best in conduct. And the best of you are those who are best to their wives." God tells us He created mates and put love, mercy, and the tranquility between them. Both men and women have a need for companionship and sexual needs, and marriage is designed to fulfill those needs.

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