Wife taking from her husband’s wealth to pay Zakatul-Fitr

01/08/2010| IslamWeb

Question

Can a woman take from her husband's wealth to pay Zakatul Fitr if he is not willing to pay it?

Fatwa

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

The husband is obliged to pay the Zakatul-Fitr of his wife because he is obliged to provide for her. Therefore, if he does not want to pay it, it is permissible for the wife to take it from his money without his knowledge and pay the Zakatul-Fitr. However, it is an obligation for the wife to inform him before paying it on his behalf because it is an act of worship which he is obliged to perform and must intend it beforehand, hence one cannot pay it on his behalf except with his permission as is the case of Zakat.

Nonetheless, if the wife pays Zakatul-Fitr from her own money, then this is better for her since some scholars are of the opinion that the wife is obliged to pay Zakatul-Fitr from her own money and not from her husband's money.

The wife should urge her husband to pay Zakatul-Fitr as it is a religious obligation and he is sinful if he does not pay it.

Finally, Zakatul-Fitr is purification for the shortcomings one had during fasting.

Allah Knows best.