Controlling one's wife's finances

Q: I have a queestion regarding the responsibility of my wife towards her father.

Her father remarried after my wifes mother passed away, while my wife was almost 15. His second wife (my wifes step mother) told her father to choose her or his daughter. So her father chose his second wife. And my wife left her fathers house and went to live with her aunt. Since the age of 15 till the age of almost 30. Her father did not contact her, and my wife managed on her own doing jobs and got her education from the university.

When her father got sick then he sought her out again and has been taking money from her since then. From the age of 15 till now her father has not supported her in any way. She had been supporting her father her ex husband and her three children single handedly. Since she is now married to me, i also send monthly money and she still does job.

Her father sold the family house, which was built jointly by my wifes mother and him But her father knowing her condition still did not care about it, and did not give her anything. Instead he bought a house in another city. which is far. He has been giving away the money which he takes from her regularly. I cannot state all the condition here because it will get long.

In short, her father is not shortage of money which he has. But instead of giving her, he just gives it away and also demands money from her and gives that away too. He is now demanding her to come to his city every month, knowing very well, she had children to take care off. He also demands from her to take divorce from me, because i work abroad.

I would like to emphasize his permission as wali was taken before marriage and he knew i would work abroad. I would like to ask can i forbid my wife not to give him any money and not to go to his city. Because my wife also acknowledges he has money. Her father has family in that city plus his wife.

A: You don't have the right to control her finances.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

 

Answered by:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)

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