Is maintenance of the wife and children obligatory on the husband?

Original answer — Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz

Question

«هل من كلمة -يا سماحة الشيخ- لهؤلاء الأزواج الذين تلزمهم النفقة على زوجاتهم وأولادهم؟»

English translation (unreviewed): Is there a word, your eminence, for those husbands who are bound to provide maintenance for their wives and children?

From the text of the answer

«نعم، الواجب على كل زوج أن ينفق على زوجته، وعلى أولاده، وأن يتقي الله في ذلك، إلا إذا كان عندها مال، وسمحت فلا بأس، وإلا فالواجب عليه أن يتقي الله، وأن يراقب الله، وأن ينفق عليها، وعلى أولادها نفقة مثلها، هذا هو الواجب، قال النبي ﷺ في الأزواج: وعليهم رزقهن وكسوتهن بالمعروف على الزوج كسوة الزوجة بالمعروف، يكسو أولاده، وقال تعالى: وَعَلَى الْمَوْلُودِ لَهُ رِزْقُهُنَّ وَكِسْوَتُهُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ [البقرة:٢٣٣].»

English translation (unreviewed): Yes, it is obligatory on every husband to spend on his wife and his children and to fear Allah in that, unless she has money and agrees, in which case there is no harm; otherwise he must fear Allah, be mindful of Allah, and spend on her and her children the maintenance appropriate to her. This is the obligation. The Prophet ﷺ said about husbands: “And upon them is their provision and clothing in a reasonable manner” — the husband must clothe the wife in a reasonable manner and clothe his children — and the Most High said: “and upon the father is the mothers' provision and their clothing according to what is acceptable” [al-Baqarah: 233].