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🏡 Rights & responsibilities · #3

What do nafkah zahir and nafkah batin mean?

Material maintenance is the wife's material needs, while intimate maintenance is the need for affection and marital intimacy.
Material maintenance (nafkah zahir) covers food, clothing, housing and other basic needs according to the husband's means and local custom. Allah says the father must bear the food and clothing of the wife in a reasonable manner. Intimate maintenance (nafkah batin) refers to intimacy, affectionate treatment, attention and time together. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned that a husband's intimacy with his wife also counts as charity. Both are the wife's rights; neglecting either can be an injustice and in certain circumstances can be the basis of a claim at the Syariah Court. See Maintenance and Glossary.

Sources

Surah al-Baqarah 2:233Sahih Muslim, Kitab az-ZakahSahih Muslim, Kitab al-Hajj
← PreviousWhat are a husband's rights over his wife?Next →How much maintenance must a husband give his wife?

Related questions

A husband neglects intimate needs (nafkah batin) — what is the ruling and what can a wife do?A husband who deliberately neglects nafkah batin without excuse has neglected his wife's rights and must repent and put it right…How much maintenance must a husband give his wife?There is no fixed figure in the texts; maintenance is measured by the husband's means and the wife's reasonable needs. Allah commands that…The husband does not give maintenance — what can the wife do?The wife may claim maintenance through the Syariah Court, and unpaid maintenance remains a debt owed by the husband.…The wife earns a large salary — must the husband still give maintenance?Yes, a wife's maintenance remains obligatory on the husband even if she is wealthy or earns more. The duty of maintenance is…Does a wife's maintenance lapse if she is nushuz?Yes, according to the Shafi'i school and the majority, a wife's maintenance lapses for the period of proven nushuz, and resumes when s…A wife wants to continue her studies, perhaps far from home. Does she need her husband's permission, and is maintenance still due?She should discuss it and gain her husband's agreement because it changes the household arrangements; if he agrees…
This answer is general reference, not a fatwa. For your situation, consult the religious affairs office, a Syarie lawyer or your state Syariah Court.

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