Ruling on the husband living in his wife’s house

13-1-2014 | IslamWeb

Question:

Grand Shaykh: May Allaah Protect you, is it permissible for the husband to live in his wife’s house? Is there any evidence in support of that from the life of the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, or the life of the Companions, may Allaah be pleased with them? Advise me. May Allaah Bless you.

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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, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

Residence is one of the wife’s rights upon the husband, and it is up to her to demand it from him, even if she has a house of her own, and it is not due on her to have her husband live with her in her house. If she conceded her right of residence, and permitted her husband to live with her in her house, there would be no blame on her, nor on the husband. That is because the house is her private property – by that consideration –  is lawful for someone else to use, if she accepts that willingly, as confirmed by the statement of Allaah The Almighty (what means): {But if they give up willingly to you anything of it, then take it in satisfaction and ease.} [Quran 4:4] The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “It is unlawful to take the property of a Muslim, unless he gives it willingly.” [Ahmad and Ad-Daaraqutni and others]

It is not proven that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, lived in the house of anyone of his wives, and no reports are handed down to us that anyone of the Companions did so. But this is not evidence against the permissibility to do so.

Allaah Knows best.