Her co-wife feels no need to deal with her

14-12-2009 | IslamWeb

Question:

AS salaamu alaikum, my question is does a muslim (brother or sister) have more rights than a marriage (husband or wife)? My co-wife seems to think her husband has more rights to her than me as her sister in Islam is this true? She feels she really doesnt have to deal with me.

---

Answer:

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

 

The scholars stated that when a woman marries, her husband has more right on her than her parents, and we have already discussed this in Fatwa 119697. This is in regard to the wife with her parents, let alone other people.

What is mentioned here about the priority is when the two rights contradict each other, otherwise, in principle; a Muslim should fulfil his/her fellow Muslims’ rights. For more benefit on the rights of brotherhood in Islam, please refer to Fataawa 86081 and 82034.

Even though your co-wife is not obliged to deal with you, she is obliged to fulfil your rights if you meet her or are her neighbour because Allaah Says (what means): {Worship Allaah and associate nothing with Him and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allaah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful.} [Quran 4:36]

The fact that she is your co-wife does not mean that she should not be kind and affective to you. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 91150.

Allaah Knows best.