Role | Gender Roles | Role of husband and wife in Islam

By habibkhan
February 26, 2015

Family is the foundation of civilization and society. The relationship between husband and wife and defining their mutual rights and duties is the foundation of family life. Piety is the basis of choosing a life partner. Many are the statements of the Quran and the Sunnah. This states kindness and equality, compassion and love, sympathy and consideration, patience, and goodwill.
Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ says:

“The best Muslim is the one who is best to his family.” Also, he says, “and the most blessed joy in life is a good, righteous wife.” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi)

Husband Role:

The role of the husband revolves around the moral principle. It is his solemn duty toward ALLAH to treat his wife with kindness, honor, and patience. Also to keep her honorably or free her from the marital bond honorably, and to cause her no harm or grief.
Allah Almighty says:

“And live with them honorably. If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and Allah brings through it a great deal of good.” (An-Nisa’: 19)

Role of the Wife:

The role of the wife is summarized in the verse that women have rights even as they have duties, according to what is fair; but men have a degree over them.
ALLAH Almighty says:

“And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.” (Al-Baqaraqh: 228)

The main role of the wife as a partner in a marital relationship is to contribute to the success and blissfulness of the marriage as much as possible. She must be attentive to the comfort and well being of her mate. She may neither offend him nor hurt his feelings.
Nothing can demonstrate the point better than the quranic statement which describes the righteous people as those who pray to say, and those who say:

“Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders of the Muttaqun (the pious).” (Al-Furqan: 74)

Husband Wife Mutual Relationship:

The mutual role of husband and wife is to jointly perform the tasks which they are faced with in establishing a family. And each finds his or her fulfillment’s in the other. This is not the women’s role to fit to earn a livelihood; and this not the man’s role to fit to manage domestic affairs. Marriage binds them to make up each other’s deficiencies so that the family prospers.
The role of a man is to spend his energies in earning a livelihood for himself and his family. And the role of women is to manage domestic life with that income. ALLAH has reminded us of this point in these words:

“And marry those among you who are single, and the virtuous ones among your slaves, male and female: if they be in poverty, Allah will make them rich by His Grace; for Allah is abundantly-giving, All-knowing.” (Qur’an, 24:32)